Local officials in Jawzjan have said that they are concerned about an increasing security threats in parts of the northern province, adding that a number of villages have fallen to insurgents in the past few days.  
 
Member of Jawzjan Provincial Council, Sher Mohammad Noor, said the Bala Mardiyan village in Faiz Abad district in the province was fallen to the Taliban on Friday evening.
 
He said that in the meantime, the center of Jawzjan’s Mardiyan district was under Taliban siege and that it will fall to the militants if military operation is not conducted in the area.
 
The provincial council member said roads to Mardiyan district are closed to traffic due to an increasing threat by militants.
 
Meanwhile, Jawzjan governor’s office said the Taliban has suffered losses in recent clashes with government forces in parts of the province.
 
Mohamamd Reza Ghafoori, spokesman for Jawzjan governor, said they are not aware about the collapse of the village to militants.
 
However, he said that a local people outpost in Jangal Aregh in Mardiyan district and two other check posts in Kala Shakh village in Aqcha district have fallen to the Taliban recently.
 
The spokesman said that Obaidullah, designated district governor of Taliban for Qarqeen district in Jawzjan was killed during a clash with Afghan forces.
 
Ghafoori said reinforcements have arrived at the province to clear the insecure areas of Taliban.