The Taliban tightened the noose around northern Afghanistan Sunday, capturing three more provincial capitals as they have taken 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. Fighting in Afghanistan’s long-running conflict has intensified since May, when foreign forces began the final stage of a withdrawal due to be completed later this month.
Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan in the north fell within hours of each other Sunday, lawmakers, security sources and residents in the cities confirmed. In Kunduz, the capital of the province of the same name, 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 later Sunday that they had also taken Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province. Parwina Azimi, a women’s rights activist in Sar-e-Pul, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) by phone that government officials and the remaining forces had retreated to an army barracks about three kilometers (two miles) from the city.
The Taliban had the compound “surrounded,” said Mohammad Hussein Mujahidzada, a member of the provincial council. Taloqan was the next to fall, with resident Zabihullah Hamidi telling AFP by phone that he saw security forces and officials leave the city in a convoy of vehicles.
“The city is unfortunately fully in Taliban hands,” a security source told AFP.
Kunduz is the most significant Taliban gain since the May offensive began – it has been a perennial target for the insurgents, who briefly overran the city in 2015 and again in 2016 but never managed to hold it for long.
The Defense Ministry said government forces were fighting to retake key installations. Spokesperson Mirwais Stanikzai said that reinforcements including special forces had been deployed to Sar-e-Pul and Sheberghan.
“These cities that the Taliban want to capture will soon become their graveyards,” he added.
Read the full story on Daily Sabah
