The fight for the eastern Afghan city of Ghazni entered its third day as Taliban militants and security forces engaged in heavy clashes yesterday, despite Kabul's claim that the city was firmly under government control, reports AFP from Ghazni. An AFP reporter on the ground said Taliban fighters continued to roam the city, torching government offices, and were in control of several police checkpoints, as reinforcements deployed from Kabul slowly entered the area to confront the insurgents.

Residents hid in their homes or attempted to flee the fighting, with basic provisions increasingly scarce and expensive, according to residents and officials. "The situation is chaotic," Amanullah Kamrani, deputy head of the Ghazni provincial council, told AFP from Kabul. "In Ghazni, only the police headquarters, governor's office and a few departments are under Afghan forces' control -- the rest are under the Taliban fighters' control," he added.