Parwan province's Ghorband valley has turned into one the fiercest battle fronts in the Afghan security forces' fight against the Taliban insurgency ever since militants blocked off roads in and out of the area three days ago.
A TOLOnews reporter traveled to Ghorband District to investigate the protracted clash that continues to rage between insurgents and security forces.
Security officials said that the Taliban blocked road access to Ghorband originally in order to prevent Afghan Local Police (ALP) from transporting food supplies into the District. But the entrenched militant blockade has also reportedly kept hundreds of civilian drivers from exiting or entering the province
"The fighting is intense," a Ghorband resident named Mohammadullah told TOLOnews. "We came in from Sia Gerd region on foot because the Taliban blocked the way...the situation is very bad."
The combat between militants and Afghan forces is said to be close quarter, with only a matter of meters separating their lines and much of it within residential areas.
The TOLOnews reporter ventured into the heart of the battle for the District in the Siager area and spoke to security forces that had been fighting militants face-to-face.
"The Taliban fired on us from inside homes and they were hiding in gardens...we shot back, but they escaped," recalled Mehrabuddin, a Local Police commander.
Reportedly several local children were caught in the cross-fire of the battle when a misfired missile crashed into a house.
"They were guests at my house and we were eating lunch," explained Abdullah, a Ghorband resident who witnessed the incident. "My newly-built house was destroyed and four kids were injured."
As the fighting season draws to an end throughout most of Afghanistan, snow fills passes and other signs of winter emerge, Ghorband remains embroiled in battle, with roads blocked by militant checkpoints and the sound of gunfire echoing around the valley.