Taliban attack provincial capital as US forces exit Afghanistan
- Taliban enter western city of Qala-i-Naw after seizing dozens of rural districts
- US troop pull-out is 90 per cent complete, Pentagon says
The Taliban on Wednesday launched their first assault on a provincial capital in Afghanistan since waging a major offensive against Afghan forces, as the pull-out of US troops from the country nears completion.
Fierce fighting has erupted in the western city of Qala-i-Naw, the capital of Badghis, with the militants seizing police headquarters and offices of the country’s spy agency.
The insurgents have pressed ahead with a dizzying campaign since US and Nato forces began the final withdrawal from the country, seizing dozens of rural districts and stirring fears that the Afghan government are in crisis.
But the attack on the city of Qala-i-Naw, in western Badghis Province, marks the first time the Taliban have attempted to overrun a provincial capital.
“The enemy has entered the city, all the districts have fallen. The fighting has started inside the city,” Badghis governor Hessamuddin Shams said in a text message.
Badghis provincial council chief Abdul Aziz Bek said some security officials had surrendered to the Taliban during the night.