As foreign soldiers prepare to leave the war-torn nation, fighting between Taliban and Afghan forces has increased.
Taliban Took Control of Provincial Capitals
In a recently published article in the Associated Press, officials claimed that the Taliban seized control of two more provincial capitals in Afghanistan on Monday. As American and NATO troops prepare to leave the war-torn nation, their fall was the latest step in a weeks-long Taliban assault.
After capturing vast swathes of territory in the mainly rural countryside, the insurgents have intensified their assault throughout most of Afghanistan, turning their weapons on provincial capitals. They held five of the country's 34 provincial capitals on Monday. At the same time, they are conducting an assassination campaign in Kabul, targeting top government leaders.
Despite international criticism and warnings from the UN that a military victory and takeover by the Taliban would not be recognized, the sweep has taken place. Appeals to return to the negotiation table and resume long-stalled peace talks with the Afghan government have also gone unheeded by the Taliban, according to a published article in NPR News.
Pro-Government Local Militia Surrendered to the Taliban
Hayatullah Samangani and Mahboba Rahmat, two legislators from northern Samangan province, claimed the provincial capital of Aybak fell to the Taliban without opposition on Monday afternoon. Government officials, they said, had fled to another area.
The Taliban overran the provincial capital after more than a week of resistance by Afghan security forces, according to Mohammad Noor Rahmani, the council head of northern Sar-e Pul province, after which the city of Sar-e Pul fell, according to a report published in ABC News,
Meanwhile, Several pro-government local militia leaders also surrendered to the Taliban without a struggle and resistance, enabling the Taliban fighters to take control of the province as a whole, according to Rahmani.
Why It Is Important for Taliban to Capture Kunduz?
In a recently published article in ALJAZEERA, the Taliban are also battling for control of Kunduz, the northern Kunduz province's capital. They unfurled their flag at the city's main plaza on Sunday, when it was visible atop a traffic police booth.
Furthermore, the Taliban's takeover of Kunduz would be a major victory and a test of their capacity to seize and hold territory in their fight against the Western-backed government. With a population of more than 340,000 people, it is one of the country's major towns and has been a vital region defended against Taliban takeovers by Western forces throughout the years.
UNICEF Condemned the Killings
On Monday, UNICEF expressed its concern at the rising number of child deaths in Afghanistan's growing violence. At least 27 children have been murdered in the last three days in different districts, including 20 in Kandahar, according to a report.
UNICEF has also expressed concern over armed organizations' increasing recruiting of minors. Sher Ali Shakir, the Helmand health department director, said Monday that seven people had been killed and 95 had been injured in the fighting in the previous 24 hours and had been transported to hospitals throughout the province.
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