An Afghan official said government forces have regained control of a strategic district in southern Helmand Province that the Taliban militants had seized.
Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the governor of Helmand, said Sunday that Afghan forces launched an operation on Friday to retake the district of Musa Qala, adding that the fighting killed six soldiers and wounded 14, AP reported.
Taliban insurgents overran Musa Qala on Wednesday after a week of attacks targeting security forces there.
NATO said it conducted at least 13 airstrikes on Taliban positions in the district last week to aid Afghan forces.
Helmand, the source of most of the heroin produced in Afghanistan, is the Taliban heartland and the scene of heavy fighting since the warm weather fighting season began in April.
Regaining territory from Taliban is among the main challenges for Afghan troops after US-led NATO forces handed over responsibility of security to Afghan national security forces in late 2014.
UN figures highlight growing insecurity as the Taliban insurgency spreads north from its traditional southern and eastern strongholds, with Afghan forces facing their first summer fighting season without full NATO support.
The militant group remained responsible for around 70% of civilian deaths and injuries in the first six months of 2015, according to UN, largely through their continued use of suicide attacks and improvised explosive devices.
