A white Taliban flag is raised over the main street in Kunduz on Sunday. Photo: AP/NTB
The Taliban took control of Aybak, the capital of Samangan Province. Many other Afghan provincial capitals are under attack.
A Taliban spokesman claimed on Monday morning that the insurgents entered AIPIC and overcame the government forces there and seized 100 military vehicles.
A few hours later, the deputy governor of the province confirmed that APIC was in the hands of the Taliban.
– They have complete control, tweet the attribute of God Samanghani.
to me New York Times journalist Fahim Abed A number of provincial leaders were evacuated from the city by helicopter, while others took refuge in the surrounding mountains.
Warlord Asif Azimi, a former member of Afghanistan’s National Assembly, is said to have surrendered and joined the Taliban. The same is said to have been done by about 250 militia soldiers.
Mazar-i-Sharif is under attack
The Taliban have taken control of large parts of the Afghan countryside in recent months, and in recent days the insurgents have also taken control of the five provincial capitals of Zaranj, Sheberghan, Sar-e-Pol, Talukan, and Kunduz. APIC became the sixth.
Heavy fighting also broke out on Monday in Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province, where Norwegian forces have been stationed for several years.
According to unconfirmed reports on social media, a large number of government soldiers were killed and wounded in the attacks that targeted the large Shaheen facility, the headquarters of the Afghan government forces in the city.
Taliban soldiers are also said to have been seen inside the city, where hundreds of Norwegian soldiers were stationed until 2014.
The Taliban in recent days has taken control of five provincial capitals, including Kunduz (pictured), and threatened to occupy more on Monday. Photo: AP/NTB
give up
For several weeks, the Taliban also besieged Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second largest city, which was once their headquarters.
Heavy fighting is also taking place near Herat in the west and in Lashkar Gah in Helmand in the south, and insurgents have taken control of the border crossings of all countries neighboring Afghanistan in recent weeks.
Trying to get rid of the drama
The government in Kabul is doing its best to curb the Taliban’s advance and on Monday claimed it had killed nearly 600 insurgents in recent days.
Government forces, backed by US combat aircraft, have launched attacks on alleged Taliban targets in several regional capitals, and it is feared that many civilians were also killed in the attacks.
Independent sources say Afghan government forces fled in several places as Taliban fighters approached, or surrendered and joined the insurgents.
Many are fleeing
Airstrikes by the Taliban and the government have forced at least 244,000 Afghans to flee their homes since May, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (OCHA).
Most of them fled from the northeastern and eastern regions of Afghanistan, and few IDPs today have roofs over their heads and have adequate food and health care.
Many initially fled to the provincial capitals as the Taliban advanced into the countryside. Now the battles are taking place around the cities, and tens of thousands are forced to flee again.
The Taliban, in a statement, assured its residents, government officials and members of the Afghan security forces that they had nothing to fear. However, there have been reports of revenge killings and threats against women in the areas recently taken by the rebels.
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