Foreign
TALIBAN insurgents took control of a district center in Afghanistan’s eastern Laghman province, adding to a string of recent gains, officials said on Thursday.
Dawlat Shah, a remote district in the province, had been besieged by the Taliban for at least a month, provincial councilors Atiqullah Abdul Rahimzai and Gulzar Sangarwal said.
For over a week the Afghan army had been trying to get reinforcements and supplies to the trapped government forces in the district, but those efforts were thwarted by the Taliban.
In the end, according to the officials, an evacuation of government forces was arranged with the Taliban through the mediation of locals. There were no casualties.
The Taliban were also engaged in tough fighting with security forces in another district, Ali Shang, adding to the worries about the overall security situation in the largely rural Laghman province.
About a week ago, the Taliban took over a strategic district in central Wardak province, close to the capital Kabul. A few days earlier the Taliban overran a district in northern Baghlan province.
The Taliban have intensified attacks on provincial capitals, district centers, and larger security bases following the drawdown of international forces in Afghanistan, which started on May 1.
After 20 years of international troops in the country, the withdrawal, due to be completed by September 11, leaves Afghanistan to a potentially bleak future amid rising attacks by Taliban insurgents.
Islamic State is also active in the country.(dpa/NAN)
– May 20, 2021 @ 09:10 GMT
Tags: adding to gains Taliban seize district in eastern Afghanistan
