JALALABAD, Afghanistan, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Taliban massive offensive to capture Shirzad district in the eastern Nangarhar province has been repulsed and the militant group fled away after leaving 27 bodies behind, said a statement of the provincial government released on Saturday.

The militant group, according to the statement, launched multi-pronged offensive with two car bombs followed by gunfight on Friday night to capture Shirzad district in Nangarhar province, but the security forces' sharp reaction forced the insurgents to retreat.

At least 27 militants have been confirmed dead and more than two dozen others injured, the statement said.

The statement also confirmed that two security personnel had been killed and eight others sustained injuries in defending the besieged Shirzad district.

The deadly attack came hours after the Taliban outfit announced launching its annual offensive dubbed "al-Fath" which means "victory" in Arabic language.

The Taliban launches its annual offensive in spring aimed at gaining grounds to topple Afghan government. The militants captured Ghazni city, the capital of eastern Ghazni government, for days in 2018, besides gaining grounds in several districts, but failed to capture any province or important district.

However, the Afghan Defense Ministry has termed Taliban newly launched so-called annual offensive as mere propaganda to boost morale of its fighters to continue useless insurgency in the conflict-plagued country.