The Taliban has captured the airport in Kunduz amid the mass surrender of an entire corps of the Afghanistan army as the insurgents consolidated their hold on the country’s northern region and captured three more provincial capitals in a day.
Videos on social media showed dozens of security force members in Kunduz surrendering to the Taliban.
Hundreds of Afghan forces surrendered to the Taliban and handed over valuable equipment after holding out for days at a military base on the edge of Kunduz, according to two Afghan officers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, according to The Washington Post. “There was no way to fight back. My unit, with 20 soldiers, three humvees and four pick-up trucks just surrendered,” an army officer in Kunduz, who asked not to be identified, told AFP.
A lawmaker in Kunduz, Shah Khan Sherzad, also said that the airport and army corps fell to the Taliban with all their equipment. This is the first time that the Taliban has taken over an army corps. The group also took a military helicopter in Kunduz but it was out of service, according to the Tolo News channel.
The Taliban has now captured nine provincial capitals and the group overran three towns were overrun on Tuesday alone. On Tuesday night, the Taliban also captured Faizabad city, the centre of Badakhshan province in the north and next to the Tajikistan border. “There is a state of chaos and anarchy in Badakhshan, the people are very frightened, government vehicles were looted and transferred to unknown locations, public assets have been looted. Faizabad prison was broken into and some inmates were killed,” Atiqullah Zabih, MP, told Tolo News.
Tolo News channel reported citing people familiar with the development that after the evacuation of Faizabad, security forces attempted to reach Farkhar district in Takhar were attacked by the Taliban and sustained casualties.
Footage showed Taliban commanders appearing among the people in Faizabad, Pul-e-Khumri and Farah city and announcing that they will impose Sharia law. According to local journalists in Takhar, the Taliban has ordered the media to act based on Sharia law.
Taliban fighters have gained control across the country since the final phase of the US withdrawal began in May and started pushing into urban areas. The Taliban has seized control of Sar-e-Pol, Sheberghan, Aybak, Kunduz, Taluqan, Pul-e-Khumri, Farah, Zaranj and Faizabad cities as US and Nato forces announced withdrawal from the country.
The United States is continuing to support Afghan forces with airstrikes but the withdrawal of foreign troops will end by the end of August.