Taliban allow safe passage to Ghazni Governor after province falls

NEW DELHI: As the Taliban continue its assaults across Afghanistan, the fighters have toppled Ghazni province and the provincial Governor along with the head of national police was allowed to come to Kabul.

The bodyguards of Governor Daoud Laghmani, were reportedly disarmed and were escorted until Kabul based on the agreement between the two sides, media reports said.

The Afghan government though has not confirmed the collapse of Ghazni province, but sources have said that the fighters have entered all government facilities.

If confirmed, Ghazni will be 10th province to be seized by the taliban in just seven days. Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid in a Twitter post said that the fighters have taken control over the national police headquarters, central prison and other government forces' facilities.

Meanwhile, four government officials along with the provincial Governor of Farah also surrendered to the Taliban and the latter claimed to have taken the national police headquarter in the province.

The Afghan government is yet to comment on the issue. As the security situation deteriorates day by day, the Afghan government reshuffled its military leadership and appointed Hebtullah Alizai as the new Army chief of staff. Alizai was previously leading the corps of special operations of the Afghan army.

The Taliban have toppled the 217th Pamir Army corps situated in the airport of Afghanistan's Kunduz province for the first time in the past two decades. The fighters in broadcasted video claim to have taken a chopper of Afghan army which seems to be out of work, media reports said.

Video clips from Kunduz province show that tens of Afghan forces also surrendered to the Taliban along with rangers and Humvees.

Meanwhile, the fighters have also taken control of another airport in Sheberghan city of Jawzjan province.

Both the northern provinces along with the rest of provinces in the zone have fallen to the Taliban but the strategic Balkh province.

Balkh province bordering Tajikistan is one of the strategic provinces of Afghanistan from where Marshal Dostum said to be launching operations against the Taliban.

There was a high-level security meeting in the provincial capital of Balkh province chaired by the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani which aimed at bringing the security of northern zone back in to track. The Taliban are gaining territories as US officials have warned the Kabul to collapse by the militant group in a three-month span. (IANS)

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