As the clashes between the Taliban and the Afghanistan Government intensify, the situation becomes more and worse for the people of Afghanistan. President Joe Biden announced in April 2021 that the withdrawal of 2500 American forces will be completed September 11, 2021. Simultaneously, NATO announced that the alliance will be also withdrawing its 7000 troops from Afghanistan. Since then the clashes and activities of Taliban have increased in the region. Despite Taliban’s claim to not sow the seeds of civil war in Afghanistan the situation has only accelerated towards violence and unrest.
Today Taliban has more than 85,000 full time soldiers and training camps across the country. While there have been continues efforts to control, their area has only been growing. One fifth of Afghan’s districts are controlled by them and other halves have strong presence of them. The roads and highways play a major role in Afghanistan, whoever controls those, controls the country and the major parts of these roads come under the area with Taliban’s presence. Taliban also has been a rich organisation with the data by UN Security Council their revenue is around $ 1.5 B a year and they get this money from drug trade, Mining and trading minerals, tax collection system and last but not the least are the abroad funding.
Tale of fallen cities:
The Taliban has captured Zaranj, making it the first province they could get hold of under the Afghan Government. And they don’t stop here; they have set up offensives in two other provinces. As per the reports they took over Zaranj on Friday. The Taliban has taken control over the airport and government buildings in the area too.
According to the reports on Friday, the Taliban sent a message to the media saying it had released prisoners from the jail in Zaranj. Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Taliban, also said they have taken control of the provincial intelligence headquarters. Later, pictures showed the fighters outside the building and in the entrance too.
Zaranj is a residential area to more than 63,000 habitants and is home to large licit and illicit trades, the takeover of Nimruz would offer the Taliban another possible revenue source from customs. The takeover of Zaranj, near the Iranian border, comes only days after the group tried to take the capitals of Herat, Kandahar and Helmand provinces.
Within 24 hours, the Taliban has captures Sheberghan as well. According to the media reports, Qader Malia, the deputy governor of Sheberghan in Jawzjan on Saturday said that government forces and officials had retreated to the airport on the outskirts of the northern Afghan city, where they were preparing to defend themselves.
The fighters have although taken over the buildings like Governor’s office, the police headquarters and the central prison yet pro-government forces are still holding up some areas inside the city including the airport.
Assassination of top media officer in Kabul:
Taliban fighters have also assassinated Dawa Khan Minapal, who was the head of the Government Media and Information Centre. Taliban warned about the killing of top media in retaliation to the increasing air raids. According to the media reports based in Kabul, he was well known journalists and also a member of the inner circle of President Ghani.
The growing war like situation between the Government and the Taliban forces has brought turmoil in the country affecting the civilians as well. Things are getting more and more tensed as there is no way to stop the Taliban’s from achieving what they dreamt of since the beginning.
