The Taliban movement continues to press and advance in northern Afghanistan, where it has taken control of the sixth capital of a province, while the Afghan army confirms that it has achieved successes in the south. It is the capital of Balkh Province. But the residents and officials said they had not yet reached it.
The police in Balkh province reported that the nearest battle site was at least 30 kilometers away from it, accusing the Taliban of using propaganda to intimidate residents.
For his part, Ministry of Interior spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said in a message to the media that the movement is now moving towards Mazar-i-Sharif, noting that the safety belts (around the city) are strong and the enemy has been repelled. (“Until the last drop of blood”
In return, Muhammad Atta Nur, the former governor of Balkh province and a strongman in Mazar-i-Sharif and the North, vowed to resist “until the last drop of blood.” And he wrote on Twitter, “I’d rather die with dignity than die in despair.”
The Foreign Ministry added in a statement that Ambassador Khalilzad will travel to Doha to help formulate a joint international response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon is concerned about the security situation
In parallel, the Ministry of Defense said
The Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, added that the United States is very concerned about this trend, but the Afghan security forces have the ability to fight the militant movement.
He added, “This is their military forces and these are the capitals of their provinces and their people that they must defend, and it will really be up to the leadership that they are willing to show here at this moment in particular.”
Control of 6 state capitals
It is noteworthy that the insurgents took control of Kunduz, which they had been besieging for a few weeks, with a difference of a few hours on Sunday, and then on Sari Pul and Talqan, the capitals of the two states located in the south and east of Kunduz.
The Taliban now controls six One of the capitals of the 34 Afghan provinces, after it captured Shaberghan, the stronghold of warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, about 50 km north of Sari Pul, and Friday on Zaranj, the capital of the far southwestern province of Nimroz, on the border with Iran.
