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Taliban trying to isolate Kabul, situation 'deeply concerning': Pentagon
"We are certainly concerned by the speed with which the Taliban has been moving," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters on Friday in a press briefing. "It's deeply concerning." He said that the insurgent group is trying to isolate Kabul, while noting the capital city currently is not "in an imminent threat environment", Xinhua news agency reported.
Taliban set fire to house of ex-female police officer
The former officer had gone to visit a shrine when Taliban fighters set fire to her rented house. Meanwhile, piling on more human rights breaches, the Taliban killed the district police chief of Asmar in Kunar province. In Kandahar province, the Taliban have captured the central prison and hundreds of inmates have been released. The Taliban confirmed that they have released 1,900 inmates after taking over the prison.
Taliban demand unmarried women to become 'wives' for their fighters
In addition, they say, Taliban commanders have demanded that communities must hand over unmarried women to become "wives" for their fighters -- a form of sexual violence, human-rights groups say, the Wall Street Journal reported. The US Embassy in Kabul had said on Thursday that it had received reports of the Taliban executing members of the Afghan military who had surrendered.
People asked me not to resist Taliban to avoid bloodshed: Afghan Guv
In the video, Sherzad said that tribal elders and political leaders have asked him not to put up any resistance to the Taliban to avoid bloodshed, so he handed over the control to the militant fighters. The Taliban have toppled six provincial capitals in the past 24 hours, which brings the total number of provinces fallen to the fighters to 18. Kandahar, Helmand, Herat, Badghis, Ghor, Logar, Zabul and Oruzgan provinces fell to the Taliban.
Speed of Taliban advance in Afghanistan surprising
The momentum is clearly with the insurgents, while the Afghan government struggles to keep its grip on power. This week, one leaked US intelligence report estimated that Kabul could come under attack within weeks, and the government could collapse within 90 days. The US and its Nato allies, including the UK, have spent the best part of the last 20 years training and equipping the Afghan security forces.
Ghazni Guv arrested for handing over province to Taliban
The Ministry of Interior Affairs said that the Governor along with his deputy and chief of staff have been arrested and disarmed in Wardak province, according to media reports. Laghmani was let go and escorted by the Taliban from Ghazni to Wardak. Parts of Ghazni have fallen to the Taliban, while Afghan forces are still active in other parts of the provincial capital and will launch operations against the fighters.
China preparing to recognise Taliban as legitimate ruler of Afghanistan: Report
The recent US military departure from Afghanistan after a 20-year presence cleared the way for the Taliban to gain control of huge swaths of the country, posing a danger to the Kabul administration. Despite the increasing alliance, Beijing is concerned about the group's ties to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which poses a domestic security risk.
Taliban claim control over 2 more key Afghan cities
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on his social media account that they overran government offices, including provincial police headquarters, in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, on Thursday night, reports Xinhua news agency. Helmand has been regarded as a Taliban stronghold during the past two decades, but Afghan soldiers were holding control over Lashkar Gah and many of the suburban districts.
India won't recognise govt imposed by force in Afghanistan: US spokesperson
US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Thursday that India participated in a meeting hosted by the US and Qatar at which the participating countries "agreed, first and foremost, that the peace process needs to be accelerated. And they also agreed, importantly, that they will not recognise any government that is imposed through military force."
We don't have magic powers to make Taliban do what we want: Imran
"Pakistan will have direct impact of a long civil war in Afghanistan because of the large Pashtun population we have in the country. The country that will be most affected after Afghanistan will be Pakistan. It has happened in the past when our Pashtun people reacted to what was happening in Afghanistan. Because of that, we lost over 60,000 people," Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said.
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