Food supplies in the Afghan city of Ghazni are running low, as a battle with the Taliban rages for a fourth day, the UN has warned.
“Life is getting hard for people, they can’t get food or water,” a man who fled the city on Sunday told the BBC.
More than 100 government soldiers and police have been killed since the Taliban stormed Ghazni from four sides early on Friday.
The city lies on the key highway between Kabul and Kandahar.
Control of it would effectively allow the Taliban to cut off southern Afghanistan from Kabul, the capital. The success of the militants’ assault has come as a blow to the government of President Ashraf Ghani, which has now deployed an extra 1,000 troops.
The government and its Nato allies insist they are in control of Ghazni but reports suggest Taliban fighters continue to roam the streets and still control many government buildings.
Phone communications are down, making it difficult to verify information coming out of the city.
In a news conference confirming the deaths of more than 100 members of the security forces, the government said it had killed up to 200 Taliban fighters.
Meanwhile, local media say a police officer has been killed by a bomb near the election commission’s office in Kabul.
A protest was taking place at the time.
