Afghanistan Crisis: Taliban Takes Over Herat, Country's Third Largest City After Ghazni & Kandahar

Taliban has captured Herat, Afghanistan's third-biggest city hours after taking over Kandahar, 2nd provincial capital after Ghazni.

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan. (Image: PTI)

Kabul: Amid the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, Taliban on Thursday captured another provincial capital near Kabul, claiming that its insurgents have so far captured as many as ten provincial capitals of the country. Militants hoisted white flags in Ghazni, 130 kilometers southwest of Kabul. Two local officials told The Associated Press that sporadic is fighting over a military establishment and intelligence base, located outside the city.

Online videos and photos were posted by the Taliban showing their fighters in Ghazni, the capital of Ghazni province. The Afghan security forces and the government are not ready to comment on the ongoing long fight. Taliban, which has been steadily gaining ground, did not directly threaten Kabul, but its sharp edge still raises questions on how long the Afghan government will be able to keep the remaining areas under control.

According to the latest update by BBC correspondent Yalda Hakim, Taliban has even captured Herat, Afghanistan's third-biggest city. This comes hours after Kandahar, 2nd provincial capital was captured by Taliban today after Ghazni.

Lands Slipping From Afghan Govt's Control

The government may be forced to withdraw its steps to save the capital and some other cities as thousands of people are displaced due to the ongoing fight and have fled to Kabul, living in open spaces and gardens. A council member of Ghazni province, Amanullah Kamrani told AP that two bases that are built outside the city are still in government forces.

Meanwhile, the fight has intensified in Lashkar Gah, one of Afghanistan's largest cities. Helmand MP Naseema Niazi said that Wednesday's suicide car bomb attack targeted the capital's regional police headquarters. On Thursday, the Taliban captured the headquarters where some police officers surrendered and others took refuge in the nearby governors' office, which is still in the possession of government forces.

Taliban Frees Hundreds Of Militants

Niazi further said that the provincial prison was also attacked by a suicide car bomb, even being occupied by government forces. But in the past week, the Taliban have rescued hundreds of their militants and captured weapons and vehicles.

Niazi condemned the airstrikes in the area and showed concern about civilians who could be killed. "Taliban fighters use houses of the common people to protect themselves and the government is carrying out airstrikes regardless of civilians," he said. The US Air Force is helping Afghan forces in airstrikes. The number of people been killed in the US bomb attacks is yet to be ascertained.