Taliban are on a military rampage in north Afghanistan, with weapons, logistics, and medical supplies intact from Pakistan, with the goal of cutting off the Ashraf Ghani government’s trade revenue and supply lines from Central Asia and Iran. According to one diplomat in Kabul, the Taliban has a Quetta Shura or high council, as well as a Miramshah Shura, but the Rawalpindi Shura, which is the real power behind the Islamist Sunni Pashtun force, is the most important. “The Taliban’s military takeover of Kabul will not only give Pakistan strategic space, but it will also train terrorist cadre to target their adversaries,” a former Indian foreign secretary said.
Taliban have ramped up their offensive, seizing five provincial capitals in just two days. Kunduz, the capital of northern Kunduz province, was the most recent to fall. They took control of Sar-e-Pul, the capital of the same-named northern province, Zaranj, the capital of western Nimroz, Sheberghan, the capital of northern Zawzjan, and Taleqan, the capital of another northern province with the same name, over the weekend.
Taliban fighters took Aybak, the capital of the northern province of Samangan, on Monday. They also control Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.
Taliban are also attacking the area on the border between Abshar Panjshir and Shahin districts in Laghman province in eastern Afghanistan. Security officials said heavy fighting was taking place on the outskirts of Herat in the west, near the Iranian border. Over the last 11 days, 36 people have been killed and 220 have been injured, according to authorities. Civilians account for more than half of the injured.
Taliban continue to attack the area on the border between Abshar Panjshir and Shahin districts in Laghman province in eastern Afghanistan. Heavy fighting was reported on the outskirts of Herat in the west, near the Iranian border, according to security officials. In the last 11 days, 36 people have died and 220 have been injured, according to authorities. Civilians account for over half of the injured.
579 Taliban terrorists were killed and 161 others were injured in operations across Afghanistan on Sunday, according to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF).
President Ashraf Ghani has convened a series of meetings in order to find a solution to the Taliban issue. On Sunday, he met with prominent political and religious leaders in the country, urging them to back the elected government and Afghan security forces. After the Afghan business community expressed concern, he announced tariff reductions on basic food items at border crossing points and ports.
