KABUL, May 28 (Xinhua) -- More than 70 people including Taliban fighters and security personnel have been killed in Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, while some Afghan politicians and a Taliban delegation met in Moscow to mark the 100th anniversary of Afghanistan-Russia diplomatic relations, on Tuesday.
A number of Afghan politicians from outside the government headed by former president Hamid Karzai and a Taliban delegation under Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy leader of the armed opposition outfit, attended the two-day meeting hosted by Russia.
Meanwhile, the warring sides in Afghanistan have intensified activities in the war-torn country as over 70 fighters have been killed and dozens others injured, according to Afghan security officials.
Describing the gathering in Moscow as an unofficial meeting of Afghans to talk for peace, an Afghan observer, Khan Mohammad Daneshjo told Xinhua that both the Taliban and the government have been trying to gain more ground in battle fields and to secure the upper hand in any talks for peace in Afghanistan.
In a major breakthrough, government forces recaptured Deyak district in the eastern Ghazni province, forcing Taliban fighters to flee on Tuesday.
Deyak governor Fazal Rahman Nazarwal told Xinhua that the militants fled away after suffering huge casualties and the security forces were able to hoist the national flag at the headquarters of Deyak district Tuesday morning.
Taliban fighters have launched a series of attacks on security checkpoints since Monday night, killing two dozen security personnel in Kunduz, Khost, Paktia and Helmand provinces, security officials confirmed.
According to the security officials, more than 50 Taliban fighters have also been killed in counter-offensive elsewhere in the country over the past 24 hours.
Zabihullah Majahid, who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit, confirmed the fightings, but in counter-claim he asserted that the militants inflicted huge casualties to government forces over the period.
Majahid has reportedly confirmed that the Taliban delegation would exchange views with the Afghan politicians at the Moscow meeting on the peace process and future of their country.
Militancy and counter-militancy would further intensify in Afghanistan in the coming days and weeks, Daneshjo said, as both the government and the Taliban want to have the upper hand in any possible direct talks in the future.
In spite of government's repeated offer for talks with the Taliban outfit, the armed opposition group has refused to negotiate with the government, denying any talks in the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan.
