Taliban capture 5 more districts in 3 provinces

KABUL (Pajhwok): Taliban fighters have overrun five more districts in three different provinces of the country, local sources said on Tuesday.

The militants seized Ghorian and Chesht districts of Herat, Aab-i-Kamari of Badghis, Hesarak of Nangarhar and Farhang of Baghlan province.

Herat Provincial Council member Ghulam Habib Hashimi said: “The police headquarters of Ghorian fell earlier. But last night the district centre also collapsed and the security forces retreated.”

He said the security forces in Chesht district had also retreated.

Wakil Ahmad Korkhi, another member of the council, confirmed the fall of Ghorian district to the Taliban.

The governor’s spokesman, Jilani Farhad, said the security forces had retreated from Chesht district for tactical reasons.

He added Chest security and administration officials would run their activities from another location until the clearance of the of the district centre.

Meanwhile, a local source in Badghis said the insurgents wrested control of Aab-i-Kamari district without any resistance on Monday night.

Meanwhile, a credible source said: “The security forces vacated Aab-i-Kamari district at around 11:00pm and the Taliban took it over.”

Governor Hasamuddin Shams told Pajhwok they had temporarily retreated from Aab-i-Kamari district to ensure coordination among the security forces and prevent casualties.

Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, spokesman for the Taliban, confirmed the insurgents had captured the three districts.

Meanwhile, the Taliban also claimed seizing the Hesarak district of eastern Nangarhar province.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the group’s spokesman, said they had taken control of the district’s office complex, police headquarters and intelligence centre in addition to seizing equipment.

But Attaullah Khogyani, the governor’s spokesman, said the district centre had been relocated to prevent civilian casualties. He alleged the Taliban used civilian homes as trenches.

According to another report, the Farhang district of Baghlan province has also been captured by the Taliban.

Local sources said the district, which had been under siege for a week, collapsed last night.

A resident of the district, who did not want to be named, told Pajhwok that the militants had taken control of Farhang without any clash.

Maulvi Abdul Wali Raji, a member of the provincial council, also confirmed the fall of the district to the insurgents.

Raji added the district collapsed without any resistance and hat he had fled to Panjsher along with some colleagues.

Farhang is the eighth district of Baghlan that has been overrun by the Taliban in the last 20 days.

sa/mud