Nine Districts Fall to Taliban as Fighting Continues

Sources said on Sunday that the centers of nine more districts were captured by the Taliban in the last 24 hours – six districts in Badakhshan, one in Kandahar, one in Paktika and one in Takhar.

The districts include Kofab, Argo, Kohistan, Zibak, Yawan and Baharak in Badakhshan, Panjwai in Kandahar, Zerok in Paktika and Worsaj in Takhar. They all fell to the Taliban between Saturday evening and Sunday evening.

“The operations we had in the last 24 hours were in Laghman, Nijrab district in Kapisa and Shinwari in Parwan, and in Ghazni–where we inflicted casualties on the enemy,” said Maj. Gen. Hibatullah Alizai, the commander of the Special Forces Corps.

The Army’s 217 Pamir Corps said the Taliban suffered casualties in Afghan forces operations in Baharak district in Badakhshan.

“The enemy sustained 30 to 40 casualties in Baharak,” commander of the corps, Abbas Tawakuli said.

In Badakhshan, 17 districts fell to the Taliban in the last few days. Some Tajik media outlets have reported that at least 300 members of the Afghan military have gone to Tajikistan through border towns.

However, officials in Badakhshan pledged to ensure the security of the capital city, Faizabad, and on Sunday the MoD said commando forces had been deployed to Faizabad.

“We are monitoring the security situation. We feel your concerns. We will serve you until the last drop of our blood,” said Badakhshan governor Ahmad Bashir Samim.

In Takhar province, which neighbors Badakhshan, the residents said all districts have fallen to the Taliban except Taluqan, the capital city.

“The city of Taluqan has been under siege by the Taliban for the last two weeks. The central government has paid no attention,” said Najibullah, a Takhar resident.

“We witness the Takhar youth martyred every day,” said Hasibullah, a Takhar resident.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, a day after the withdrawal of the US military from Bagram Airfield, a group of 20 Taliban fighters attacked a border police outpost at Zhala village between Bagram and Koh-e-Safi districts in Parwan, but local officials said the attack was pushed back by security forces.

“The security and defense forces and the public forces led by Gen. Abdul Raziq caused a major defeat for the enemy and inflicted casualties on them,” said Parwan governor Fazluddin Ayar.

Two Taliban attacks, one on Sarubi district in Kabul and the Dasht-e-Tob area in Sayed Abad district of Maidan Wardak, are two other security incidents in the last 24 hours.