Afghanistan: The Taliban captures Pul-e-Khumri city, the eighth provincial capital of the country
New Delhi: The Taliban in Afghanistan on Tuesday captured Pul-e-Khumri city – 140 miles north of the capital Kabul, says a media report.
Two officials told the media on a phone call that “The Security Forces have abandoned the place after a heavy gunfight with the Taliban terrorists.”
“Taliban fighters broke through the frontlines in several directions during the afternoon. After heavy clashes, officials and security forces abandoned the governorate, intelligence, and police headquarters. Heavy clashes are ongoing. We are deciding where to retreat now,” the official said on the phone call.
Images on social media showed the Taliban’s flag at city gates and insurgent fighters inside the city. A Taliban spokesperson on Twitter also claimed the capture of the city, the capital of Baghlan province.
The city’s fall to the Taliban would be a massive blow to the Afghan government, threatening the remaining cities in the north of Afghanistan not already under insurgent control including Mazar-i-Sharif and Faizabad.
A few hours back the US president also said that “Washington has spent more than $1 trillion over 20 years and lost thousands of troops. Afghan leaders have to come together. They have to fight for themselves, fight for their nation,”
“The US will continue to provide significant air support, food, equipment, and salaries to Afghan forces,” President Biden said.
The Taliban military chief released an audio message to his fighters on Tuesday ordering them not to harm Afghan forces and government officials in territories they conquered.
In the nearly five-minute audio, Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of the late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, also told the insurgents to stay out of abandoned homes of government and security officials who had fled, to leave marketplaces open and to protect places of business, including banks.
In the last two months, The Taliban fighters have captured 65 percent of land areas of the country which includes a large proportion of rural areas.
