Taleban captures Ghazni in its advance towards Kabul
Strategic city is 9th provincial capital seized in a week, sparking Afghan anger at US withdrawal
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Taleban fighters in Ghazni yesterday, after capturing the Afghan city. The militants occupied Ghazni's government agency headquarters after heavy clashes, a security official said. With the last of the US-led international forces set to leave Afghanistan by the end of this month, the Taleban has taken control of about two-thirds of the country. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
KABUL • Taleban fighters captured the strategic city of Ghazni in Afghanistan yesterday, the ninth provincial capital they have taken control of in a week.
The speed of the advance sparked recriminations among many Afghans over President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw US troops and leave the Afghan government to fight alone, ending the United States' longest war.
Ghazni lies 150km south-west of Kabul on the ancient route between the capital and the second-largest city of Kandahar.
The militants occupied Ghazni's government agency headquarters after heavy clashes, a security official said. "All local government officials, including the provincial governor, have been evacuated towards Kabul," said the official, who declined to be identified.
Fighting has also been intense in Kandahar. The city hospital had received scores of bodies of members of the armed forces and some wounded Taleban members, a doctor said late on Wednesday.
With the last of the US-led international forces set to leave by the end of this month, the Taleban has taken control of about two-thirds of the country.
Even when the Islamist group ruled the country from 1996 to 2001, it never controlled all of the north. This time, it appears to be determined to secure it fully before turning its attention to Kabul.
Finding rural districts too hard to defend, government forces have withdrawn to protect Kabul and other cities, prompting thousands of families to flee the provinces.
The Taleban said it had captured Kandahar's provincial prison.
"Fighting did not stop until 4am and then, after the first prayers, it started up again," said an aid worker in Kandahar.
The Taleban said it had seized airports outside the cities of Kunduz and Sheberghan in the north and Farah in the west, making it even more difficult to supply beleaguered government forces.
It said it had also captured the provincial headquarters in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand, a hotbed of militant activity.
Fighting had also flared in the north-western province of Badghis, its governor said.
Kandahar and other southern and eastern provinces bordering Pakistan have long been Taleban heartlands, but it has been in the north that the group has made its biggest gains in recent weeks.
Al Jazeera reported that a government source said the government had offered the Taleban a share in power as long as the violence came to a halt. It was not clear to what extent the reported offer differed from terms already discussed at stalled talks in Qatar.
In Washington, a US defence official on Wednesday cited US intelligence as saying the Taleban could isolate Kabul in 30 days and possibly take over it within 90.
The Taleban risks isolating the country if it does seize overall control. "Attempts to monopolise power through violence, fear and war will only lead to international isolation," the charge d'affaires at the US Embassy, Mr Ross Wilson, said on Twitter.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Berlin would not provide financial support to Afghanistan if the Taleban takes over and introduces syariah religious law.
The violence has also raised concerns in Europe of more refugees arriving there. Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland have said they would not, for now, deport Afghans seeking asylum.
The Taleban controlled most of Afghanistan before it was ousted in 2001 for harbouring Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
A new generation of Afghans, who have come of age since 2001, worry that the progress made in areas such as women's rights and media freedom over the past two decades will be lost.
The United Nations said more than 1,000 civilians had been killed in the past month, and the International Committee of the Red Cross said some 4,042 wounded people had been treated at 15 health facilities since Aug 1.
On Wednesday, the Taleban denied targeting or killing civilians and called for an investigation.
REUTERS
