Taliban Warrior in Afghanistan Said on Wednesday that they have controlled a major border crossing Pakistan, Perhaps the most strategic goal they have so far pushed forward rapidly across the country when the U.S. forces withdrew.
A Pakistani official said that the fighters took off the flag of the Afghan government from the top of the Friendship Gate at the border crossing between the Pakistani town of Chaman and the Afghan town of Wesh.
The border crossing point is located south of the main city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. It is the second busiest entry point for the landlocked country and the main passage connecting its vast southwest port with Pakistani ports. According to Afghan government data, 900 trucks use it every day.
After fierce fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan army near Vesh, this takeover forced Pakistan to block part of the border with Afghanistan.
Afghan officials said that government forces repelled Taliban militants and took control of the Spinboldak border area in Kandahar province. But civilians and Pakistani officials said that the Taliban controlled the border post in Vesh.
A Pakistani security official deployed in the border area said: “Weesh, who is important in the trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan and other countries, has been captured by the Taliban.”
Officials from Chaman said the Taliban had suspended all travel through the gate.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement: “The jihadists have already occupied an important border town of Vesh.”
Since being expelled in 2001, the Taliban have been working hard to expel foreign troops and defeat the US-backed Kabul government. In recent days, they have occupied other major border crossings in the northern and western provinces of Herat, Farah and Kunduz.
Shafiqullah Attai, chairman of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Investment in the capital, Kabul, said the control of border posts allows the Taliban to collect revenue.
“The income has started to flow to the Taliban,” Artest told Reuters, but he could not say how much their income was.
After the Taliban drove government forces out of several areas, President Ashraf Ghani went to the northern Balkh province on Tuesday to assess the security situation.
According to Tolo News, the 72-year-old Ghani met with civilians and assured them that “the backbone of the Taliban will be broken” and that the government forces will soon retake all areas lost by the militants.
In addition, Vice President Amrullah Saleh said on Twitter that the Taliban are forcing members of minorities to convert to Islam or leave their homes in the northern province of Badakhshan.
“These are the ethnic minority Kergis who have lived there for centuries… They are now waiting for their destiny in Tajikistan,” he said.
A Taliban spokesperson did not immediately comment, but the UN mission in Afghanistan stated that as the fighting spreads, it is increasingly concerned about reports of human rights violations.
The delegation said in a statement: “Reports of killing, abuse, persecution and discrimination are widespread and disturbing, creating fear and insecurity.”
Educated Afghans—especially women and girls who are banned by the Taliban from going to school and most of their jobs—are shocked by their rapid progress, and members of ethnic and sectarian minorities have suffered from harsh interpretations of Sunni Islam. persecution.
A Taliban spokesperson refused to accept allegations of abuse of their rights and stated that if they returned to power, they would not abuse women.
The UN delegation said: “The best way to end the harm to civilians is to restart peace talks to reach a settlement through negotiation.”
As part of the U.S. withdrawal agreement, the Taliban promised to negotiate with their Afghan opponents. However, during several rounds of negotiations in Qatar, the ceasefire has hardly made any progress.
As Western diplomats urge the opposing parties to work towards a power-sharing agreement, senior politicians in Kabul are preparing to travel to Qatar for more talks this month.
(Supplementary report by Gul Yosuefzai in Quetta, report by Gibran Peshimam in Islamabad by Rupam Jain, edited by Robert Birsel, Peter Graff)
