Afghan media chief killed by Taliban in Kabul as group takes southern city of Zaranj
- Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents killed Dawa Khan Menapal, the chief of the Afghan government’s press operations
- The latest killing of a government official comes just days after an assassination attempt on the country’s acting defence minister
The Taliban ambushed and killed the director of Afghanistan’s government media centre on Friday in the capital, Kabul, the latest killing of a government official just days after an assassination attempt on the country’s acting defence minister.
The killing comes amid significant Taliban advances. In a major but symbolic victory, the Taliban on Friday appeared to have taken their first provincial capital – the city of Zaranj in southern Nimroz province. The government, however, claimed there was still fierce fighting around key infrastructure in the city and that Zaranj had not fallen.
But the Taliban posted images on social media showing insurgents inside the local airport and posing for photographs at the entrance to the city. Nimroz is sparsely populated in a region that is mainly desert and Zaranj, the provincial capital, has about 50,000 residents.
The province’s Governor, Abdul Karim Barahawi, fled Zaranj for refuge in the peaceful Chahar Burjak district, where the local ethnic Baloch population has given him protection.
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Afghan president blames ‘abrupt’ US withdrawal for failing security as Taliban steps up attacks
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