Taliban seizes northern Afghanistan’s Kunduz province as battles rage on

Taliban fighters seized a lot of the capital of northern Afghanistan’s key Kunduz province on Sunday, and took one other neighboring provincial capital after a month-long siege. The advances have been the most recent in a collection of blows to authorities forces as U.S. troops full their pullout after practically twenty years within the nation.

The militiamen planted their flag in the primary sq. of Kunduz metropolis, the place it was seen flying atop a site visitors police sales space, a video obtained by the Associated Press confirmed.It was the fourth provincial capital to largely succumb to Taliban fighters in lower than every week, as they ramp up a push throughout Afghan’s areas, and wage an assassination marketing campaign within the capital, Kabul.ALSO READ: Over 570 Taliban militants killed by forces in final 24 hours, claims Afghan Defence MinistryTwo provincial council members mentioned the Taliban took management of the governor’s workplace and police headquarters after a day of firefights, in addition to the primary jail constructing, the place 500 inmates together with Taliban fighters have been freed.WHAT DOES KUNDUZ’S CAPTURE MEAN?Kunduz’s seize can be a big achieve for the Taliban and a take a look at of their skill to take and retain territory of their marketing campaign in opposition to the Western-backed authorities.It is likely 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 through the years.Councilman Ghulam Rabani Rabani mentioned that preventing was persevering with on the metropolis’s airport and different components of the town nonetheless in authorities fingers. Kunduz is a strategic crossroads with good entry to a lot of northern Afghanistan in addition to Kabul, about 200 miles (335 kilometers) away.ALSO READ: Second Afghan metropolis falls in 24 hours as Taliban tightens noose over countrysideAnother provincial council member from Kunduz, Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, additionally mentioned Afghan forces solely management the airport and primary military barracks, and that the Taliban management the remainder of the town.“The innocent and poor must pay the cost of the war in Kunduz and other parts of the country, both government forces and the Taliban are the enemy of civilians,” mentioned Ayubi. “One can’t provide security and the other doesn’t care about people’s safety,” he added.The Afghan authorities in Kabul denies it has misplaced the northern metropolis, which might be the fourth provincial capital to be largely overrun by Taliban fighters within the final week. Interior Ministry Spokesman Mirwais Stanekzai mentioned that Afghan safety forces proceed to struggle and have already retaken some areas from the Taliban, with out elaborating.The Taliban has lengthy thought-about the town a sought-after prize. It seized Kunduz, on the coronary heart of a significant agricultural area close to Tajikistan, for round two weeks in 2015 earlier than withdrawing within the face of a NATO-backed Afghan offensive. The insurgents pushed again into the town middle a 12 months later, briefly elevating their flag earlier than progressively being pushed out once more.US RESPONSEIn Washington, senior officers from the White House National Security Council, State Department and Defense Department have been in shut contact with U.S. embassy officers in Kabul assessing the broader impression of the autumn of Kunduz, in accordance with a senior administration official. The official was not approved to remark and spoke on the situation of anonymity.But the official indicated that the Biden administration stays decided to stay to its plan to finish the U.S. warfare in Afghanistan by the tip of the month regardless of the Taliban’s speedy strategic good points.ALSO READ: Taliban continues to take pleasure in protected haven in Pakistan: Afghanistan envoy to UNWhite House officers in current days have raised concern about reviews of retaliation in opposition to civilians in Taliban-controlled areas. They’ve additionally condemned final week’s killing of Dawa Khan Menapal, the chief of the Afghan authorities’s press operations for native and overseas media, and a bombing that focused appearing Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, killing eight and wounding extra.White House press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned on Friday that current surge in assaults run counter to the “the Taliban claim to want international legitimacy” and supplied that the militants “do not have to stay on this trajectory.”TALIBAN CAPTURES TALEQANAlso Sunday, the Taliban forces overran Taleqan, the capital of Takhar province which lies subsequent to Kunduz, two Afghan lawmakers mentioned. Takhar, a metropolis of some 200,000, has explicit significance for the anti-Taliban northern alliance fighters who joined the U.S.-led coalition to oust the spiritual militia in 2001.Sayed Sharafuddin Aini, a member of the Afghan parliament from from Takhar province, mentioned the Taliban managed to take the town within the afternoon after three months of advances throughout which it took management of the entire province’s countryside.ALSO READ: Afghan air power launch airstrikes on Taliban in southern Afghanistan; insurgents achieve in northAnother MP from the world, Nazifa Yousefi Beg, mentioned that every one provincial officers together with the governor, police chief, and council members have been on the run . She mentioned she apprehensive about their security and needed the federal government to ship reinforcements to the town.Both lawmakers spoke by phone in Kabul, the place they reside. They mentioned that they had been in contact with officers and provincial council members within the morning and early afternoon, and Beg was interesting on to the appearing protection minister at his workplace.Taleqan had been below siege in current weeks and largely minimize off from the remainder of the nation by Taliban forces that had taken management of the encircling countryside over the previous three months.The insurgents have been on a country-wide offensive that intensified as U.S. and NATO troops started to wrap up their withdrawal from the nation 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 raised rising issues about civilian casualties.On Saturday, Taliban fighters entered the capital of the northern Jawzjan province after sweeping by means of 9 of 10 districts within the province. Several different of the nation’s 34 provincial capitals are threatened as Taliban fighters sweep by means of massive swaths of Afghanistan at a stunning pace.Earlier final week their fighters captured the ninth of 10 police districts of Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand province. Heavy preventing there continues, as do U.S. and Afghan authorities airstrikes, certainly one of which broken a well being clinic and highschool.The Defense Ministry confirmed airstrikes occurred however mentioned they focused Taliban positions, killing 54 fighters and wounding 23 others. It made no point out of a clinic or faculty being bombed in its assertion. Deputy provincial council chairman Majid Akhund mentioned the amenities had been below Taliban management once they have been struck.As they rolled by means of provincial capitals, the Taliban issued an English language assertion on Sunday saying that residents, authorities staff, and safety officers had nothing to worry from them.“No former civil servant and other government employee including those who worked in the security sector … should have any fear of the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate, nor flee towards other places,” mentioned the assertion.Revenge assaults and repressive therapy of ladies have been reported nonetheless in areas now below Taliban management.ALSO READ: Afghan govt, Taliban should compromise for peace settlement: Pakistan NSA