Kabul: The Taliban tightened the noose around northern Afghanistan, capturing three more provincial capitals as they take their fight to the cities after seizing much of the countryside in recent months. The insurgents have snatched up five provincial capitals in Afghanistan since Friday in a lightning offensive that appears to have overwhelmed government forces. Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan in the north fell within hours of each other on Sunday, lawmakers, security sources and residents in the cities confirmed.
In Kunduz, one resident described the city as being enveloped in “total chaos”. “After some fierce fighting, the mujahideen, with the grace of God, captured the capital of Kunduz,” the Taliban said in a statement. “The mujahideen also captured Sar-e-Pul city, the government buildings and all the installations there.” The insurgents said on Twitter that they had also taken Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province.
Kunduz is the most significant Taliban gain since the insurgents launched an offensive in May as foreign forces began the final stages of their withdrawal. The ministry of defence said government forces were fighting to retake key installations. “The commando forces have launched a clearing operation. Some areas, including the national radio and TV buildings, have been cleared of the terrorist Taliban,” it said. Kabul’s ability to hold the north may prove crucial to the government’s survival. Northern Afghanistan has long been considered an anti-Taliban stronghold. The region remains home to several militias and is also a fertile recruiting ground for the armed forces.
US, UK citizens told to leave
The United States and Britain have asked all their nationals in Afghanistan to leave the war-torn country immediately due to the “worsening security situation” as fighting intensifies. “The US urges its citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the embassy’s ability to assist US citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul,” the US embassy in Kabul said in a statement. The UK foreign, commonwealth and development office also issued a similar statement
Top govt officer killed
Taliban militants assassinated the Afghan government’s top media officer in Kabul, dealing a high-profile blow to the Western-backed administration. The killing comes just days after an assassination attempt on Afghanistan’s acting defence minister. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the insurgents killed Dawa Khan Menapal, the chief of the Afghan government’s press operations for local and foreign media. He had previously been a deputy spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani. The assassination took place during weekly Friday prayers, according to the interior ministry’s deputy spokesman. After the shooting, Afghan forces fanned out across the neighbourhood of Kabul where Menapal was gunned down while riding in his car. Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, later put out a statement claiming responsibility for the killing.
Bid to attack India-built dam thwarted
Afghan forces thwarted Taliban’s attack on India built Salma Dam in Herat province, said the Afghan government, adding that the terror group has “suffered heavy casualties and fled the area as a result of counter-attacks”. In a tweet, Afghan defence ministry spokesperson Fawad Aman said Taliban terrorists attempted an attack on Salma Dama, popularly known as the India-Afghanistan friendship dam.
Salma dam in Herat’s Cheshte Sharif district is one of the largest dams in Afghanistan and provides irrigation water and electricity to thousands of families in the province. Salma Dam has a water storage capacity of 640 million cubic meters and an irrigation capacity of 2,00,000 acres of farmland from the Chishti Sharif district of Herat to the Zulfiqar area on the Iran Border. The dam has been India’s most expensive infrastructural project in Afghanistan in recent years.
