Faizabad: The Taliban's march through northern Afghanistan gained momentum overnight with the capture of several districts from fleeing Afghan forces, several hundred of whom fled across the border into Tajikistan, officials said Sunday. More than 300 Afghan military personnel crossed from Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province as Taliban fighters advanced toward the border, Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said in a statement.
The Taliban now control roughly a third of all 421 districts and district centers in Afghanistan. The gains in northeastern Badakhshan province in recent days have mostly come to the insurgent movement without a fight, said local officials.
They blamed Taliban successes on the poor morale of troops who are mostly outnumbered and without resupplies. General Abbas Tawakali, commander of Pamir 217 corps, said that they will start "clean up operations" soon to recover areas that were taken.
Read: US pull-out puts Afghanistan at risk of turning into next Cambodia
There have been cases of Afghan army, police and intelligence troops surrendering their military outposts and fleeing to the Badakhshan provincial capital of Faizabad.
The Interior Ministry issued a statement Saturday saying the defeats were temporary although it was not clear how they would regain control.
AP
