Afghan Taliban capture several districts of Badakhshan, Afghan troops flee Tajikistan

Afghan Taliban capture several districts of Badakhshan, Afghan troops flee Tajikistan
KABUL: The Taliban’s advance in Afghanistan continues and they have taken control of several districts of Badakhshan without a fight, while hundreds of Afghan soldiers have surrendered and fled to neighboring Tajikistan.

According to Al Jazeera, the Taliban in Afghanistan’s northern province of Badakhshan are advancing rapidly towards the border. Tajikistan’s National Security Committee says more than 300 Afghan soldiers have crossed the border into Tajikistan, where they have been granted humanitarian asylum.

The Taliban have been gaining ground in the country since US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from Afghanistan in mid-April, calling it a “perpetual war.” However, the victories in Badakhshan are extraordinary because it has always been a stronghold of US allied leaders who helped defeat the Taliban in 2001. The Taliban now control one-third of the country’s 421 districts.

Badakhshan Council member Mohib-ur-Rehman lamented the Afghan army, saying the Taliban were winning the war without a fight, as the Afghan army was in a state of turmoil and frustration and was fleeing without a fight. Captured 10 districts out of which 8 districts were won without a fight.