The Taliban seized a province simply south of Afghanistan’s capital and launched a multi-pronged assault early Saturday on Mazar-e-Sharif, a significant metropolis within the north defended by highly effective former warlords, Afghan officers stated.
Homa Ahmadi, a lawmaker from Logar, says the Taliban management the whole province, together with its capital, and reached a district within the neighboring Kabul province on Saturday. That places the insurgents lower than 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of the nation’s capital.The Taliban have additionally captured a lot of northern, western and southern Afghanistan lower than three weeks earlier than the United States is ready to withdraw its final troops.LONG READ | Who are the Taliban?Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor in northern Balkh province, in the meantime stated the Taliban attacked town of Mazar-e-Sharif from a number of instructions, setting off heavy preventing on its outskirts. There was no rapid phrase on casualties.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had flown to Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday to rally town’s defenses, assembly with a number of militia commanders allied with the federal government.The Taliban captured a lot of southern Afghanistan in current days in a speedy offensive that has raised fears of a full takeover. Their lightning advance has left the Western-backed authorities accountable for a smattering of provinces within the middle and east, in addition to Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.The withdrawal of international forces and the swift retreat of Afghanistan’s personal troops – regardless of a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} in US support over time – has raised fears the Taliban may return to energy or the nation could possibly be plunged into civil warfare. The first Marines from a contingent of three,000 arrived on Friday to assist partially evacuate the US Embassy. The relaxation are set to reach by Sunday, and their deployment has raised questions on whether or not the administration will meet its August 31 withdrawal deadline.The Taliban in the meantime launched a video wherein an unnamed rebel introduced the takeover of the principle radio station within the southern metropolis of Kandahar, which fell to the insurgents earlier this week.The station has been renamed the Voice of Sharia, or Islamic legislation. He stated all workers had been current and would broadcast information, political evaluation and recitations of the Quran, the Islamic holy guide. It seems the station will not play music.It was not clear if the Taliban had purged the earlier workers or allowed them to return to work. Most residents of Kandahar sport the standard gown favored by the Taliban. The man within the video congratulated the individuals of Kandahar on the Taliban’s victory.The Taliban have operated cellular radio stations over time, however haven’t operated a station inside a significant metropolis since they dominated the nation from 1996-2001. At that point, in addition they ran a station known as Voice of Sharia out of Kandahar, the birthplace of the militant group. Music was banned.The US invaded shortly after the 9/11 assaults, which al-Qaida deliberate and carried out whereas being sheltered by Taliban. After quickly ousting the Taliban, the US shifted towards nation-building, hoping to create a contemporary Afghan state after many years of warfare and unrest.Earlier this yr, President Joe Biden introduced a timeline for the withdrawal of all US troops by the tip of August, pledging to finish America’s longest warfare. His predecessor, President Donald Trump, had reached an settlement with the Taliban to pave the best way for a US pullout.Biden’s announcement set the newest offensive in movement. The Taliban, who’ve lengthy managed massive elements of the Afghan countryside, moved rapidly to grab provincial capitals, border crossings and different key infrastructure. They at the moment are inside 80 kilometers (50 miles) of Kabul.Tens of 1000’s of Afghans have fled their properties, with many fearing a return to the Taliban’s oppressive rule. The group had beforehand ruled Afghanistan beneath a harsh model of Islamic legislation wherein girls had been largely confined to the house.