At least 40 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in a Taliban attack in northern Baghlan province, officials say.
The militants overran at least one military base and three checkpoints in the overnight attack, destroying all the military facilities, provincial council members Asadullah Shahbaz and Hayatullah Wafa said.
In May, the Taliban took control of Tala-o-Barfak district in the same province for at least 10 days, before they were pushed back by Afghan special forces.
Taliban militants have ramped up attacks on Afghan security forces, their facilities and the Afghan government in the past few months. Security forces are stretched thin across the war-torn country.
The situation in the city centre of Ghazni, in the eastern province of the same name, was back to normal after five days of fierce gun battles, an official said on Wednesday.
But clearance operations are ongoing in parts of the province.
The Taliban retreated from their positions inside the city centre to the outskirts. However, a home-to-home search by Afghan forces is underway, a spokesman for the provincial governor Arif Noori, said.
Telecommunication services were partly reactivated in the province on Wednesday, which was completely shuttered over the past five days. Local shops and businesses have also resumed activities, Noori said.
Besides the heavy loss of life - between 110 and 150 civilians have reportedly been injured or killed in the Ghazni assault, according to the UN - residents also suffered heavy financial losses.
According to the spokesman, an estimated $US100 million ($A139 million) worth of property was destroyed during the clashes - and the government cannot reimburse the costs.
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