20 civilians killed in clashes between Afghan forces, Taliban; 3 district centres fall

Kabul [Afghanistan], June 15 (ANI): At least 20 civilians have been killed in various regions of Afghanistan during clashes between the security forces and the Taliban in the past 24 hours. Three district centres have fallen to the Taliban during this period.
In the eastern province of Nangarhar, unidentified gunmen killed five aid workers providing polio vaccines and wounded four more, reported TOLO News.
"After this incident, the provincial leadership and our international partners decided to halt the vaccination campaign in Nangarhar province," said Najib Kamawal, the head of the polio vaccination campaign in the east, adding that this was the second attack on workers administering the polio vaccine in Nangarhar.
Meanwhile, lawmakers from Sar-e-Pul province in the Parliament said that four districts in the province have fallen to the Taliban during the past week. They said that the government has control of only one centre in the province.
According to TOLO News, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has led meetings over the past three days to address the fragile security situation, but during this period ten districts fell to the Taliban.
"The war has reached the main gates of the city, Balkh district is also under threat, we are very concerned," said Musa, a resident in Sar-e-Pul.
"What should the people expect from this approach? The people think there might be a deal behind the scenes, they think that the government in a sense wants to arm the Taliban and give territory to the Taliban," said MP Sayed Hayatullah Alimi.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said that the security forces will change the current security situation, reported TOLO News.
Earlier, it was reported that the Pentagon is mulling to authorise airstrikes in Afghanistan if the country falls into crisis due to the rise in violence by the Taliban in the country following US troops pull-out. (ANI)