KABUL, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan government forces have made major breakthrough in the fight against militants and recaptured major parts of the strategically important Dasht-e-Qala district in the northern Takhar province, said an army statement released on Thursday.
According to the statement, the operations were launched one week ago and so far 18 villages have been recaptured and the advance of government forces to clean up the whole district from Taliban fighters is going on smoothly.
The statement did not make comment on the casualties of the security forces nor the Taliban fighters.
Taliban militants who are in control of parts of Takhar and the neighboring Kunduz province have not commented on the situation.
Similarly, the government forces in crackdown against Taliban fighters in the troubled Helmand province stormed Taliban bastion in Sangin district on Monday and have overrun the militants' main base in Shakar Shila area on Wednesday.
Sangin district has been regarded as the hotbed of the Taliban insurgents in the restive Helmand province and expelling militants from Sangin would pave the way for expulsion of militants from the whole Helmand province, local security officials believe.
Both the Taliban and the government forces, according to local observers, have stepped up operations against each other over the past couple of months amid peace efforts to have upper hand in the possible direct talks between the two sides.
The fifth round of talks between the U.S. delegation and the Taliban representatives initiated in Qatar capital Doha on Monday and the head of U.S. delegation in the talks Zalmay Khalilzad, according to media reports, reported progress on formation of a national team in Kabul to talk with the Taliban group.
