40 thousand families have been displaced by the clashes .. The Taliban launch its largest offensive since the start of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan

Taliban militants launched a massive attack on the city of Lashkargah, capital of Helmand Province (southern Afghanistan), and this is the largest attack launched by the movement since the United States announced the start of the withdrawal of its forces from the country.

Officials and residents said today, Tuesday, that the Afghan security forces responded to a massive attack by the Taliban in Helmand province in the past 24 hours, while the militants of the movement launched attacks in various parts of the country, after the expiration of the scheduled date for the withdrawal of US forces on the first of May.

Although the United States did not meet the deadline for the complete withdrawal agreed upon in talks with the Taliban last year, it has already begun the withdrawal process early this month, and US President Joe Biden announced that all of his country's forces will leave before September 11th.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Fuad Aman said that more than 100 Taliban militants were killed, and 27 others were wounded during clashes in Helmand Province.

He pointed out that about 40 thousand families were displaced from their areas due to the clashes.

The head of the Helmand Provincial Council, Atallah Afghans, said that the Taliban launched their attack on Monday from several directions, and attacked checkpoints on the outskirts of Lashkargah, and took control of a number of them, while Afghan security forces launched air strikes and deployed special forces in the area.

Afghans said that the attackers had been repelled, but fighting continued on Tuesday and hundreds of families were displaced.

In turn, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that the date for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan has come, and that all conditions are in place for that.

For his part, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense John Kirby said that what happened last weekend’s attacks in Afghanistan had not had a significant impact on US forces.

He added that the Commander of the US Central Command, General Kenneth McKinsey, is taking all measures to ensure the protection of his country's forces in Afghanistan and our bases there.

On May 1, the United States began its unconditional withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, on the orders of President Biden, at a time when the Taliban warned that delaying the withdrawal of US forces is a violation of the Doha Agreement.