Amidst the ongoing peace efforts, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Monday said the Afghan Defense and Security Forces backed by their foreign counterparts will increase their attacks on Taliban’s strongholds.

A spokesman of the Defense Ministry, Ghafoor Ahmad Jawed, said military operations by Afghan forces are ongoing in at least 15 provinces.

“We are conducting (military) operations in different provinces and the Taliban has sustained heavy casualties,” Jawed said. “At least 10 commanders of Taliban have been killed in the last three weeks. We are also conducting operations against Daesh militants.”

Meanwhile, the US Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Colonel David Butler said the US-backed military pressure by the Afghan forces on the Taliban will continue until a peace agreement is reached.

“We will continue to fight every single day until there is a peaceful settlement and that is important to know that the Taliban will continue to feel this enormous military pressure,” Butler told TOLOnews on Feb. 10.

Military analysts said the military pressure on the Taliban should continue until a possible ceasefire with the group.

“The Afghan Army should use all their resources to restore security,” said Mohammad Radmanish, a retired Army General and a military affairs analyst. “The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has the legal right to do so until a ceasefire.”

In a latest development, Afghan forces on Sunday cleared some villages of Taliban in a key district in the northern Takhar province, according to Ministry of Defense.  

“Our winter operations have started in areas around Takhar in Mawarai Kokcha district and we have good achievements there,” said Hayatullah Aqtash, Commander of Pamir 20 Army Brigade.

The US forces spokesman in Afghanistan said that performance of Afghan commandos has been encouraging on the battlefields.