Taliban capture sixth Afghan provincial capital, Aibak: Deputy governor says

The Taliban militants have captured Aibak, the sixth Afghan provincial capital, the deputy governor of the province says, as the militants press on with their northern offensive following the weekend’s rapid advances.

The militants on Monday stormed Aibak, the capital city of the north-central province of Samangan, without a battle after community elders pleaded with officials to spare the city from further violence following weeks of clashes on its outskirts, said Sefatullah Samangani, the deputy governor of the province.

“The governor accepted and withdrew all the forces from the city,” he noted, adding that the Taliban militants were now in “full control” of Aibak.

Separately, AFP cited an unnamed Taliban spokesman as confirming that the city has been taken by the militant group.

Earlier, Taliban militants had overrun five provincial capitals across the north, sparking fears the central government in Kabul is quickly losing control of the region.

The latest city to fall was Taloqan, the capital of the northern province of Takhar, which was overrun by the marauding militants Sunday afternoon. It became the third major provincial center to fall to the Taliban in one day, according to local reports.

The militants have also captured Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz province, in the southwest.

After seizing Sheberghan to its west, and Kunduz and Taloqan to its east, Taliban militants said earlier on Monday that they were launching an offensive on Mazar-i-Sharif, the largest city in the north that plays a vital role for the government to maintain assert control over the region.

However, residents of the city contested claims by the Taliban, saying the group is exaggerating, with clashes confined to surrounding districts.

For the past recent weeks, Taliban militants have been trying to capture Kandahar and Lashkar Gah, both with Pashtun majorities from where the militants draw their strength.

“We're clearing houses, roads, and buildings that the Taliban occupy,” said General Sami Sadat, commander of the Afghan army's 215 Corps, in an interview with AFP from Lashkar Gah.

The Afghan defense ministry said that hundreds of Taliban militants had been killed or wounded in the last 24 hours.

MG