Taliban capture Pul-i-Alam, drawing closer to capital

Insurgents have taken several key leaders captive during their advance

Taliban fighters stand guard inside the city of Ghazni, south-west of Kabul, Afghanistan. AP

In its latest military surge, the Taliban captured Pul-i-Alam in Logar province on Friday, bringing the group the closest it has ever been to the Afghan capital.

Senior Afghan security officials told The National on the condition of anonymity that the government was very concerned over the fall of key provinces in such quick succession.

“We are very worried about the recent development, particularly in the eastern region. Unfortunately, we lost Pul-i-Alam today and that has brought the terrorists to Kabul’s doorstep,” an official said.

“They have been fighting all morning, but as of now, the Taliban have control of Pul-i-Alam. They breached the city gates and have taken over government buildings,” Mohammed Mumtaz, a 37-year-old resident of Logar, told The National.

“There is just one military base that they don’t control, where the Afghan forces have been cornered and are fighting from. If that falls, it will be a big loss to the government because it holds a significant amount of weapons and ammunition,” he added.

After capturing the city centre, the Taliban took Abdul Qayyum Rahimi, the provincial governor of Logar, captive.

“He had been fighting alongside the Afghan forces and the people's uprising. He fought bravely. The chief of [the National Directorate of Security] is still fighting,” Mr Mumtaz said.

There was little local resistance in Logar, Mr Mumtaz observed.

“Unfortunately, after the Taliban declared victory in Pul-i-Alam, I saw some locals cheer for the Taliban because some of them have suffered at the hands of Afghan forces and see the Taliban as a better option,” he said.

The fall of Logar comes a day after the Taliban seized control on Thursday of two important provincial capitals, Kandahar and Herat, which were formerly government strongholds.

The Afghan government has continued to maintain resistance against invading Taliban forces, though their efforts are flagging.

The militant group, which began a violent campaign three months ago when US and Nato troops started their withdrawal from the country, has captured over 240 districts and taken control of at least a dozen provincial centres.

The senior security officials said that the government intended to defend and continue to mobilise local “uprising groups” to stop the Taliban's advance.

“We had an extensive security meeting at the Presidential Palace today where we discussed further strategies, and we will also be working closely with the uprising groups to defeat the enemies of Afghanistan,” an official said.

However, in Herat, as in other places, the militants have been taking key leaders of uprising groups prisoner. Among them, Ismail Khan, a former mujahideen leader and local strongman, has been taken captive and has reportedly been forced to join the Taliban.

Several videos shared by the Taliban claim that Mr Khan has surrendered and show fighters urging the veteran leader to join their group.

A representative of Mr Khan, however, said that he had not joined the Taliban.

“[Mr Khan], through a group of religious scholars, has made a deal to stop the battles to prevent any civilian casualties. He has not surrendered to the Taliban,” Abdul Razaq Ahmadi, Mr Khan’s spokesman, told The National.

“We couldn’t count on the Afghan National Army [to support the fight against the Taliban], so in the end, it was agreed to not fight,” he explained.

He added that he felt let down by the Afghan government.

“There wasn’t any other alternative,” he said.