The Taliban demonstrates the tightening of the grip after the Unites States made the decision to leave the country. The Taliban captured three more provincial capitals, including Taloqan city in northeastern Takhar province on Sunday.
The insurgents have snatched up five provincial capitals in Afghanistan since Friday in a lightning offensive that appears to have overwhelmed government forces. as they take their fight to the cities after seizing much of the countryside in recent months.
Taloqan, in northeastern Takhar province, became the third provincial capital to fall to the insurgents in one day, Aug 8th. The security forces have to retreat from the city afternoon after the government failed to send help. The city Taloqan is now fully in Taliban hands.
According to the local people, they saw the security forces and officials leaving the city in convoys of vehicles.
The Taliban envelops Aghanistan in total chaos
Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan in the north fell within hours of each other on Sunday, the authorities have confirmed.
“After some fierce fighting, the mujahideen, with the grace of God, captured the capital of Kunduz,” the Taliban said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
The Taliban fighters also captured Sar-e-Pul city, the government buildings and all the installations there, according to the insurgents. On Sunday evening, they wrote on Twitter that they had also taken Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province.
Parwina Azimi, a women’s rights activist in Sar-e-Pul, told AFP by phone that government officials and the remaining forces had retreated to an army barracks about three kilometres (two miles) from the city.
The Taliban had the compound “surrounded”, said Mohammad Hussein Mujahidzada, a member of the provincial council.
