330 killed in Ghazni city fighting since Friday: Afghan minister

About 330 people, including 30 civilians, have been killed during the intense fighting in Ghazni city, capital of eastern Ghazni province, since the clashes started in the embattled city early Friday, Afghan Defense Minister Gen. Tariq Shah Bahrami said Monday.

"As of midday today, the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces recaptured control of nearly all parts of Ghazni city, and the Taliban militants would be expelled from the city soon," Bahrami told reporters at a joint press briefing with Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak.

Bahrami added that up to 100 government security force members, 30 civilians and over 194 Taliban militants were killed and 147 Taliban militants were injured during the four-day clashes between security forces and Taliban militants in Ghazni.

Within the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry deployed reinforcement to Ghazni city and its adjacent areas and the fresh troops will bring considerable changes into the security situation of the city in the next 24 hours, Bahrami noted.

On wee hours of Friday, Taliban militants launched a massive attack on Ghazni city, 125km south of Kabul, in a coordinated effort to take back the city.

"The Afghan police and army will soon clear Ghazni city from the Taliban and normalcy and peace will return into the city as soon as possible," Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak said.

The clashes also blocked a main road connecting Kabul to southern and western provinces and scores of travellers have been stranded on the road since early Friday.