Taliban Seizes New Provinces and Announces Power Cuts
3 Min Read
The Taliban controls the centers of new provinces, and Moscow holds Washington responsible for how the situation in Afghanistan unfolds.
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A Pakistani soldier talks to a stranded Afghan national upon his return to Afghanistan in Chaman, August 14 (AFP)
The "Taliban" Movement continues to expand in Afghanistan and has announced its control over the centers of new provinces, as well as cutting off electricity in Kabul.
Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on his Twitter account that the Movement has tightened its grip over the city of Tirin Kut, the center of Uruzgan province, confirming that the governor of the state and the local police chief surrendered to the militants.
#عاجل:
— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) August 14, 2021
در جریان عملیات الفتح شهر شرنه مرکز ولایت پکتیکا نیز فتح گردید.
لحظاتی قبل در این شهر مقام ولایت، قومندانی امنیه، مرکز استخبارات و تمام ملحقات آن تحت کنترول مجاهدین درامدند.
عساکر اداره کابل با مجاهدین یکجا شدند، تمام اسلحه، وسائط و تجهیزات به دست مجاهدین افتاد.
The Movement also arrested several officials during their progress, including the leader Mohammad Ismail Khan, the governor of Herat Province, and published a video recording of him calling on the Taliban to maintain security in the country, put an end to what is happening, and establish peace.
د طالبانو په مرګ پسې راوتلی اسماعيل خان له تسليمۍ وروسته له طالبانو څخه غواړي چې دوی سره ښه رويه وکړي او ټول په سوله او امن کې ګډ ژوند وکړي pic.twitter.com/Nfpdy4F0Lw
— محمد فيصل کاروان (@M_F_Karwan) August 13, 2021
Afghans stranded on the Afghan-Pakistan border
On the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, hundreds of Afghans remain stranded and unable to cross that border.
On Friday, Pakistani forces clashed with hundreds of Afghans stranded at the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing after it was blocked by Taliban militants.
Officials said that "the turmoil erupted after an Afghan in his fifties died of a heart attack while he was waiting to enter his country, and others that were also stuck threw stones at the security forces that responded by firing tear gas."
The area near the border gate got crowded with hundreds of civilians, most of whom went to Pakistan for medical treatment and waited in the sweltering heat to enter Afghanistan through the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing. In response to the raging crowds, police used batons against them as they tried to break through the barrier.
At the Kabul airport, thousands of Afghans and others fled the country to escape the continuous battles and the spread of Taliban over a large number of provinces.
International response to the situation in Afghanistan
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the international community will not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate authority in Afghanistan if it seizes power by force.
After a meeting of NATO members to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, Stoltenberg expressed NATO's grave concern over the increase in violence in the country, because of the Taliban's military advancement, including attacks on civilians, targeted killings, and reports of other serious human rights violations.
On the other hand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed the United States for the situation in Afghanistan and held it responsible for how the situation eventually folds.
He said that the urgent call for a UN Security Council session on Afghanistan would be fruitful if it helped start practical negotiations on the situation in the country. He continued to say that Russia supports a political settlement in Afghanistan based on UN Security Council resolutions.
