The Taliban movement took control of the capital of Samangan Province, Afghanistan, while attempting to attack the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and attributed the cause of the war to the Afghan government that tried to regain the city of Kunduz. At the same time, Doha, Qatar planned for 10 Japan presided over an enlarged tripartite meeting on peace in Afghanistan.
In the latest developments, Al Jazeera reporters reported that Taliban forces have taken control of the city of Ibak, the capital of Samangan Province.
Taliban spokesman Zabihara Mujahid tweeted that the movement’s forces have taken control of the regional government headquarters in the northern province of Samangan.
The spokesperson added that the Taliban movement is attacking the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, from four fronts. The fighting is still continuing. The grid front entered the city.
The Taliban spokesperson also tweeted that militants had taken control of the Afghan army’s military base in Rabat, Paktika Province.
On the other hand, the spokesperson of the governor of Balkh province denied that Taliban militants invaded the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
On August 8, local time, the Taliban announced that they had taken control of the capitals of three more provinces, raising the number to six within 24 hours. The three capitals are Kunduz, Saripur (in the north), and Talekan (in the north), the capital of Tahar Province, which borders Tajikistan.
Muhammad Naim, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, told Al Jazeera reporters that the Afghan government chose war — it began military operations against the Taliban on the second day of Eid al-Adha. Therefore, he believes that the Taliban’s current actions are just one thing. Kind of response.
He also added that the two sides did not reach an agreement on a ceasefire, and he also warned that any external intervention would exacerbate the current situation and bring more problems.
For several days, the country’s second city, Kandahar (south) and third largest city, Herat (west) have been under attack by Taliban forces, similar to what happened in Rashkar Gah (south), the capital of Helmand Province. .
Try to regain
On the other hand, a source from the Afghan government revealed to Al Jazeera reporters that an explosive device was found and the target of the explosion was a car of the Kandahar Provincial Government Army.
The Afghan Ministry of Interior stated that government forces have launched military operations to regain Kunduz City, and government forces have now regained many areas.
The Afghan Ministry of Interior added that military operations will be further expanded in Salipur and other places to combat Taliban militants.
The Taliban previously controlled the city of Kunduz in 2015 and 2016, which is a strategic crossroad between Kabul and Tajikistan. The Taliban has controlled the city since May of this year, in the context of the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan. The biggest military victory in the latest battle that broke out.
The Afghan Ministry of Defense also announced that in a shelling of Hilzad, 30 Taliban militants were killed or wounded. At the same time, the Ministry announced that it had regained Valsaj in the northern Tahar province of the country. Regional headquarters.
An Afghan Interior Ministry official accused Taliban militants of kidnapping a journalist working for a local radio station in the southern Helmand province three days ago, adding that the militants confiscated the journalist’s news equipment and brought him to An unknown location. But the Taliban have not yet commented on the matter.
On the other hand, the UNICEF representative in Afghanistan announced that 20 children have been killed in three different provinces and 103 others have been injured in recent days.
The representative added, “We are deeply concerned about reports of armed groups recruiting children.”
Traces of destruction left by Kunduz City during the 9th battle (AP)Iran’s position
Against this background, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif accused unnamed foreign forces of being responsible for deepening the crisis in Afghanistan, and said that the current situation in Afghanistan is very dangerous.
During the meeting between Tehran and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Jean Arnault, Zarif stated that Iran is willing to promote dialogue within Afghanistan and emphasized that this is the only way to resolve the crisis.
The UN special envoy emphasized that no country or a few countries can successfully resolve the Afghan crisis. The correct solution is collective cooperation.
On the other hand, the spokesperson of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Taliban is part of the Afghan entity and should listen to the voices of all parties. He also added, “We are seeking constructive negotiations to bring the Afghan parties together because of this. Is the only way to achieve peace.”
Doha Conference
On the other hand, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said at a press conference that Russia has high hopes for the expanded tripartite meeting on Afghanistan to be held in Doha on the 10th. It is reported that this meeting will include Russia, the United States, and Russia. China and Pakistan.
At the same time, the Russian official emphasized that “it is not expected that any substantial progress will be made in Afghans’ internal negotiations before the fall”.
Al Jazeera reporters in Afghanistan quoted government sources as saying that Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the Afghan Reconciliation Commission, will attend the meeting on the 10th.
The New York Times quoted a US official as reporting that the progress made by the Taliban on the ground did not prompt Biden to reassess his decision to end the combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of this month.
The media reported that the US’s silent response to the Taliban’s control of Afghan cities made it clear that the US war in Afghanistan is over and that the Afghan army must defend itself and take over the task of recovering the city from the Taliban or placing it under rule.
In addition, a US official also stated that with only 650 US troops left in Afghanistan, a coordinated air strike is unlikely to offset the progress made by the Taliban.
The newspaper reported that whether the United States should continue its airstrike mission after completing its withdrawal at the end of this month to avoid the fall of Afghan cities or the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government. This question arises between officials from the US government and the Department of Defense. Disagreements.
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