Taliban Begins Expansion To The North, Afghan Military Prepares Large-Scale Military Operation

Illustration of explosions in Afghanistan. (Wikimedia Commons/POA Phot Sean Clee)

JAKARTA - Taliban insurgents stormed three provincial capitals, including the strategic northeastern city of Kunduz on Sunday, local officials said, as the group's aggressiveness grew.

Dozens of districts and border crossings have been seized by the group in recent months, putting pressure on several provincial capitals, including Herat in the west and Kandahar in the south, as foreign forces withdrew.

Taliban insurgents seized key government buildings in Kunduz, leaving government forces dependent on control of their airports and bases, a provincial assembly lawmaker said.

This condition raises concerns the city will add to the list of cities falling into the hands of the Taliban. The city of 270,000 people is considered a strategic 'gift' as it lies at the gateway to the mineral-rich northern province and Central Asia.

"Heavy clashes started yesterday afternoon. All government headquarters were taken by the Taliban, only the military base and airport with ANDSF (Afghan security forces) from which they fought the Taliban," said MP, Amruddin Wali.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his group had captured most of the province, including areas close to the airport. The increase in Taliban attacks, carried out in parallel with the withdrawal of the US-led international coalition forces, is due to be completed in September.

Responding to these conditions, a spokesman for the Afghan security forces said late on Sunday, government forces would launch a large-scale operation to retake lost areas of the province as soon as possible.

Separately, health officials in Kunduz said about 14 bodies, including women and children, as well as more than 30 injured people, had been taken to hospital.

The Taliban have also taken government buildings in the northern provincial capital of Sar-e Pul, expelling officials from the main city to a nearby military base, Mohammad Noor Rahmani, a member of the provincial council of Sar-e Pul province, said.

On Friday, the Taliban seized their first provincial capital in years, when they seized control of Zaranj on the border with Iran in Afghanistan's southern Nimroz province.

In recent days, the Taliban have stepped up attacks in the northern provinces, which lie outside their traditional strongholds in the south, where the group has quickly seized control of territory along the borders with Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Separately, Ashraf Ayni, parliamentary representative for Takhar province on Sunday evening said the capital Taloqan had fallen to the Taliban who had released prisoners and taken control of all government buildings, pushing officials to nearby districts.

Previously, fierce fighting took place in Sheberghan, the capital of northern Jawzjan Province on Saturday last week. The Taliban say they have captured the entire province.

Provincial councilor Jawzjan Shir Mohammad said most of Sheberghan, including the provincial government buildings, had fallen to the Taliban. A spokesman for Afghan security forces on Saturday denied the Taliban had captured the city, saying troops were fighting to defend Sheberghan without causing civilian casualties. On Sunday, he did not immediately respond to a request for comment for an update on the situation.