Afghan forces vow to retake districts lost to Taliban

Afghan security forces in Faizabad the capital of Badakhshan province

Afghan authorities on Tuesday vowed to retake all the districts lost to the Taliban as hundreds of commandos deployed to counter the insurgents' blistering offensive in the north after more than 1,000 government troops fled into neighbouring Tajikistan. Fighting has raged across several provinces, but the insurgents have primarily focused on a devastating campaign across the northern countryside, seizing dozens of districts in the past two months. Last week, all US and NATO forces left Bagram Air Base near Kabul -- the command centre for anti-Taliban operations -- effectively wrapping up their exit after 20 years of military involvement that began in the wake of the September 11 attacks. ‘There is war, there is pressure. Sometimes things are working our way. Sometimes they don't, but we will continue to defend the Afghan people,’ National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib told reporters.