On Saturday night, the Taliban captured the final major city in northern Afghanistan, thus handing over control of the whole country's north to the insurgents, who seem to be on the brink of a full military takeover.
Mazar-i-Sharif Fell in the Hands of Taliban
In a recently published article in The New York Times, the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif, the seat of Balkh Province and one of the last three major towns still under government control, comes only a day after the Taliban took control of two important cities in southern and western Afghanistan.
As they continue with their fast military assault, the rebels now virtually dominate the country's southern, western, and northern areas, almost surrounding the country's capital, Kabul. The Taliban offensive started in May, but in little over a week, the militants had taken control of more than half of Afghanistan's provincial capitals.
After Asadabad, the capital of Kunar Province in the country's east, fell to the Taliban on Saturday night, the militants held about 20 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. The region saw some of the bloodiest engagements of the American war, and its harsh terrain has long been home to foreign fighters crossing the Pakistani border, according to a published article in CNN News.
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Government Security Forces and Militias Fled Mazar-i-Sharif
Only an hour after bursting through the front lines at the city's outskirts, the Taliban captured Mazar-i-Sharif, the final northern holdout city. Government security troops and militias, notably those headed by notorious warlords Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Muhammad Noor, left shortly after, essentially surrendering power to the rebels.
However, in a Facebook post, Noor claimed that his loss in Mazar-i-Sharif was planned and accused government troops of handing over their guns and equipment to the Taliban. He did not specify who was behind the plot or provide any specifics, but he did claim he and Dostum were now in a secure place, according to a published article in Associated Press.
Needless to say, the city's fortifications had been reinforced and staffed with fresh batches of freshly recruited warriors for weeks by the government and militia troops. However, the city surrendered to the Taliban without a struggle on Saturday night, leading many to believe that the government or militia leaders had made an agreement to hand up the city to the Taliban.
Other Advances of Taliban
According to Hoda Ahmadi, a provincial legislator, the Taliban seized all of Logar province, just south of Kabul, on Saturday and arrested local authorities. According to her, the Taliban had reached the Char Asyab area, which is just 11 kilometers or 7 miles south of the city, according to a report published in UPI.
In recent days, the Taliban have made significant gains, seizing Herat and Kandahar, the country's second and third-biggest cities, respectively. According to Zefon Safi, a provincial legislator, the militants took over Mihterlam, the capital of Laghman province, northeast of Kabul, without fighting.
Meanwhile, this week, the United States held further peace negotiations in Qatar between the government and the Taliban, and the international community warned that a Taliban administration imposed by force would be despised. However, as they rack up wins on the battlefield, the rebels seem to have little interest in making compromises.
