Afghan security forces travel on an armored vehicle in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan September 28, 2015. Afghan Taliban fighters who launched a three-pronged assault on the northern provincial city of Kunduz have hoisted their white banner over the main square, a Reuters witness and two security officials said on Monday. REUTERS/Stringer
On Monday, Taliban insurgents seized control of a crucial region in Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province and encircled the provincial capital, authorities reported, adding to the insurgent group’s recent military triumphs.
Fighting in the Imam Sahib district began late Sunday, and by midday, the Taliban had taken control of the district headquarters and police headquarters, according to Inamuddin Rahmani, a provincial police spokesman.
According to him, Taliban insurgents were within a kilometre of Kunduz, the province capital, but had not reached the city, despite reports of small bands of Taliban at the outskirts and citizens attempting to flee to Kabul.
Since May 1, when US and Nato soldiers began their last withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban have taken control of dozens of districts. Their importance is often based on their closeness to large cities and roadways, as in the Imam Sahib district in northern Kunduz.
Imam Sahib is strategically placed near Afghanistan’s northern border with Tajikistan, a crucial Central Asian supply route.
According to Rahmani, police and Afghan National Army soldiers worked together to defend the district. He stated that the number of Afghan National Security and Defense Forces losses, as well as the number of Taliban killed or wounded, was yet unknown.
Imam Sahib district is under Taliban control, according to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed.
Several more districts in Kunduz, including Dasht-e-Archi, which borders Imam Sahib, have fallen to the insurgent group in the last round of fighting, according to Rahmani, further strengthening local transportation linkages in the area.
On Sunday, Syed Mohammad Mousavi drove his family from northern Mazar-e-Sharif, roughly 120 kilometres west of Kunduz, to the relative safety of Kabul.
People were attempting to flee Kunduz for Kabul, he said, fearing more combat. The Taliban were stationed along the highway, inspecting vehicles. We were terrified, he admitted after arriving in the capital.
According to Mousavi, the Taliban have recently taken control of many districts in the three northern provinces of Kunduz, Baghlan, and Balkh. Witnesses stated the Taliban controlled Doshi district in Baghlan province, which, if accurate, would give the militant organisation control of the only road connecting five northern districts to Kabul.
On its website and through WhatsApp groups, the Taliban have posted movies purporting to show government soldiers who have surrendered being urged to return home and getting money from the Taliban. Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban’s leader, released a statement on Sunday instructing his fighters to treat those who surrender well and to treat them with respect.
However, in other places, the battle has been very fierce, with both sides incurring casualties. The cops battling in the districts, according to a senior police official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, are largely from poor backgrounds. Despite the trillions of dollars spent in Afghanistan over the last two decades, those households have remained impoverished. They haven’t noticed any changes in their life and are unconcerned, therefore they don’t notice anything unusual.
They only want to save their lives today.” Taliban successes, as well as the slow withdrawal of the remaining 2,500-3,500 US troops and 7,000 NATO troops, have heightened the urgency of finding a negotiated conclusion to Afghanistan’s protracted conflict.
In Qatar, talks between the government and the Taliban have come to a halt. While Taliban commanders claim to be willing to negotiate, observers say the rebel movement is more concerned with racking up military victories in order to enhance their bargaining position.
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