Taliban fighters took management of a significant district in western Afghanistan on Thursday, together with a significant border crossing with Iran, Afghan safety officers mentioned, as Islamist insurgents continued their fast army advances throughout the nation.
In the previous week, the Taliban have seized territories bordering 5 nations – Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China and Pakistan – as international forces finish their two-decade intervention and worsened home safety is.
Fierce preventing was occurring between Taliban fighters and Afghan authorities forces within the northern Balkh province, bordering Uzbekistan.
Two senior safety officers advised Reuters on situation of anonymity that Islam Kala’s border with Iran, primarily based in Herat province, had fallen on the Taliban and that Afghan safety and customs officers had fled throughout the border.
Iran’s official Arabic language service, Al Alam TV, additionally reported that Afghan troops had entered Iranian territory from throughout the border to flee the Taliban.
Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian denied the stories and mentioned the border crossing was nonetheless underneath the management of presidency forces.
Calls made by Reuters to the workplaces of the provincial governor and the police remained unanswered.
Another safety official mentioned Taliban fighters had captured 5 districts in Herat with no struggle.
Earlier this week, greater than 1,000 Afghan safety personnel fled to Tajikistan because the Taliban captured many of the northern province of Badakhshan, which additionally borders China and Pakistan. learn extra
Conflict within the Western Province
The protection ministry mentioned Afghan authorities forces had earlier on Thursday regained management of Kala-e-Naw, the capital of the western province of Badghis, which was attacked by the Taliban on Wednesday. learn extra
The ministry mentioned as tons of of troops have been deployed to the world, preventing continued on the banks of Kala-i-Nau, the place rebels had beforehand seized main authorities buildings within the metropolis, together with the police headquarters.
“The city is completely under our control and we are conducting an operation against the Taliban on the outskirts of the city,” Defense Ministry spokesman Fawad Aman mentioned.
The ministry mentioned 69 Taliban fighters have been killed within the operation on the banks of Kala-i-Nau – the primary main provincial capital entered by the insurgents of their newest assault.
The remainder of the Badghis province is within the fingers of the Taliban. Western safety officers say the Taliban have captured greater than 100 districts in Afghanistan. The Taliban say it has greater than 200 districts in additional than half of the nation’s 34 provinces. Major cities stay underneath authorities management.
Insurgents have been gaining territory for weeks, however the United States vacated its fundamental Afghan base, successfully ending the intervention it started in 2001 with the ouster of the Islamic Taliban authorities.
The Taliban’s progress has been significantly dramatic within the northern provinces the place they’ve lengthy been stored at bay.
Stop-start peace talks between the federal government and the rebels are inconclusive. The Taliban delegation visited Iran on Wednesday and was in Moscow on Thursday.
Defending the choice to drag US forces out of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden mentioned on Thursday that he didn’t anticipate the Taliban to take over all the nation and that he trusts the Afghan army. learn extra
“We are ending America’s longest war,” he mentioned.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
