Two districts in Afghanistan's south-eastern Paktika province fell to Taliban militants in the past 48 hours, with Afghan forces suffering heavy casualties, officials said on Tuesday.
The district centres of Giyan and Omna fell after Taliban attacked both, leaving at least 22 Afghan security forces dead and at least seven others wounded, said provincial council members Fazul Rahman Katawazi and Bakhtyar Gul Hemat.
Taliban militants have controlled large parts of Paktika province for years.
The fall of the districts comes as Afghan forces killed a number of high-ranking Taliban militants, including the shadow governor for north-eastern Kapisa province, in an operation conducted late Monday.
Meanwhile, repeated calls by the Afghan government for Taliban to come discuss peace have failed so far, as the militants view the Kabul administration as puppets and have agreed only to direct talks with the United States.
The US is leading NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.
The Taliban welcomed reports in US media earlier this month that the Trump administration has ordered its top diplomats to speak directly with the militants, a shift to its previous policy of an Afghan-owned and led peace process. However However, General John Nicholson, commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, later said that the Afghan government will be included in the process.
At least 14.5 per cent of Afghanistan's approximately 400 districts are fully controlled by the Taliban, while 30 per cent are contested, according to the country's military.
