Taliban press on, take one other Afghan provincial capital

The Taliban on Monday took management of one other provincial capital in Afghanistan, an official stated, the insurgents urgent on with their relentless offensive as American and NATO forces finalise their pullout from the war-torn nation.

The militants have ramped up their push throughout a lot of Afghanistan in current weeks, turning their weapons on provincial capitals after taking district after district and enormous swaths of land within the largely rural countryside whilst they wage an assassination marketing campaign concentrating on senior authorities officers within the capital, Kabul.The sweep comes regardless of condemnations by the worldwide neighborhood and warnings from the United Nations {that a} navy victory and takeover by the Taliban wouldn’t be recognised.The Taliban have additionally not heeded appeals to return to the negotiating desk and proceed long-stalled peace talks with the Afghan authorities.According to Mohammad Noor Rahmani, the council chief of northern Sar-e Pul province, the Taliban overran the provincial capital after over per week of resistance by the Afghan safety forces, after which the town of Sar-e Pul collapsed.The authorities forces have now fully withdrawn from the province, he stated.Several pro-government native militia commanders additionally surrendered to the Taliban with out a combat, permitting the insurgents to achieve management of your complete province, Rahmani added.The metropolis of Sar-e Pul joins three different provincial capitals now totally below Taliban management: Zaranj, the capital of western Nimroz province, the town of Shibirghan, the capital of northern Zawzjan province, and Taleqan, the capital of one other northern province with the identical title.The Taliban are additionally preventing on for management of the town of Kunduz, the capital of northern Kunduz province. On Sunday, they planted their flag within the metropolis’s most important sq., the place it was seen flying atop a visitors police sales space, a video obtained by The Associated Press confirmed.Kunduz’s seize could be a major acquire for the Taliban and a take a look at of their potential to take and retain territory of their marketing campaign in opposition to the Western-backed authorities. It is without doubt one of the nation’s bigger cities with a inhabitants of greater than 340,000, and was a key space defended in opposition to Taliban takeover by Western troops over time.After billions of {dollars} spent in aiding, coaching and shoring up Afghan forces, many are at odds with learn how to clarify the stunning Taliban blitz that has threatened, and by now taken a number of of the nation’s 34 provincial capitals.Rahmani, the council chief in Sar-e Pul, stated the provincial capital had been below siege by the militants for weeks, with no reinforcements being despatched to the overstretched Afghan forces. A video circulating on social media Monday reveals quite a lot of Taliban fighters, standing in entrance of the Sar-e Pul governor’s workplace and congratulating one another for the victory.The country-wide Taliban offensive intensified as US and NATO troops started to wrap up their withdrawal from Afghanistan this summer season. With Taliban assaults rising, Afghan safety forces and authorities troops have retaliated with airstrikes aided by the United States. The preventing has additionally raised rising issues about civilian casualties.The insurgents have additionally taken most of Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand province, the place they took 9 of the ten police districts within the metropolis final week. Heavy preventing there continues, as do U.S. and Afghan authorities airstrikes, certainly one of which broken a well being clinic and a highschool.The Defense Ministry confirmed airstrikes occurred however stated they focused Taliban positions, killing 54 fighters and wounding 23. Its assertion made no point out of a clinic or faculty being bombed. Deputy provincial council chairman Majid Akhund stated the services had been below Taliban management after they have been struck.On Saturday, Taliban fighters entered the capital of the northern Jawzjan province after sweeping by way of 9 of 10 districts within the province. And the town of Kandahar, the provincial capital of Kandahar, additionally stays below siege.As they rolled by way of provincial capitals, the Taliban issued an English language assertion on Sunday saying that residents, authorities workers, and safety officers had nothing to worry from them.However, revenge assaults and repressive remedy of ladies have been reported in areas now below Taliban management.Also learn: Day after Kabul bomb blast, Taliban warn of extra focused assaults in AfghanistanAlso learn: Taliban are regular civilians, how is Pakistan imagined to hunt them down, asks PM Imran Khan