Taliban captures district in northeast Afghanistan

[Falcon29]

Taliban captures district in northeast Afghanistan - Al Jazeera English

Hundreds of Taliban fighters have wrested control of Badakhshan province's Yamgan district in northeastern Afghanistan after attacking the district headquarters from four directions, officials have said.

An Afghan local police commander told Al Jazeera that 10 police officers were killed in the attack which started at about 4am on Saturday.

The toll differed slightly from that given by the parliamentary representative for the province, Abdul Wali Niazi, who told local media that seven police had been killed and three had been taken hostage.

Abdullah Naji Nazari, the head of the provincial council, did not confirm the casualty figures, but said the centre of Yamgan had been captured by the Taliban.

Local fighters hold frontline against Afghan Taliban


"The situation is tense and worrying if reinforcements are not sent in time," he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said fighters had taken control of several checkpoints and the district centre, killing several members of Afghan forces and seizing weapons.

Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston, reporting from Bamiyan, in central Afghanistan, said security forces were regrouping and planning an offensive to retake the district.

Johnston said the country's north has become a new fighting front for the Taliban over the past two months, during its annual Spring offensive.

"That area in the north is more exposed. There are not as many security forces up there," she said.

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[Desert Fox]

Johnston said the country's north has become a new fighting front for the Taliban over the past two months, during its annual Spring offensive.

"That area in the north is more exposed. There are not as many security forces up there," she said.

That's strange. The north has traditionally always been a NA stronghold.

 

[Falcon29]

[QUOTE="Falcon29, post: 7243295, member: 145988" ]Johnston said the country's north has become a new fighting front for the Taliban over the past two months, during its annual Spring offensive.

"That area in the north is more exposed. There are not as many security forces up there," she said.

That's strange. The north has traditionally always been a NA stronghold.

What's NA? Are the reports confirmed? Doesn't seem like small district, if they are able to capture districts that easily they walk over whole country unless there are Western troops/airstrikes.

 

[Indus Falcon]

What's NA? Are the reports confirmed? Doesn't seem like small district, if they are able to capture districts that easily they walk over whole country unless there are Western troops/airstrikes.

NA is Northern Alliance.

 

[Desert Fox]

What's NA? Are the reports confirmed? Doesn't seem like small district, if they are able to capture districts that easily they walk over whole country unless there are Western troops/airstrikes.

Northern Alliance,

Traditionally the northern tip of Afghanistan has always been the Northern Alliance's stronghold where the Taliban were not able to make any gains during the peak of their rule in the late 1990's. The current Afghan gov.t is dominated by former Northern Alliance factions.

So it does come as a shock that the Taliban were able to take major territory in that region, so yes this can be considered a significant development.

Something tells me the Taliban are going to make a major comeback and the current Afghan gov.t will not be up to the task in confronting them considering the deplorable conditions of the Afghan National Army. But lets just wait and see.

 

[Sinnerman108]

See .. Badakhshan borders Gilgit Baltistan province.
It is also true that many Taliban leaders have been hiding in Gilgit Baltistian waiting for better time to come back in action.

The Economic corridor is due to enter Pakistan through Gilgit Baltistan province.

Pakistan Army will look at this carefully and I do not think they will be very happy with this.

The Taliban are playing Indian agenda, i.e not allow the economic corridor project.

 

[WAJsal]

See .. Badakhshan borders Gilgit Baltistan province.
It is also true that many Taliban leaders have been hiding in Gilgit Baltistian waiting for better time to come back in action.

What you are stating is a theory. GB is almost the most peaceful region in the whole of country. Mainly because of the security forces and scouts, they are doing an excellent job. Whatever little sectarian killing that was going on has also died out. Even if these leaders have come into GB, they won't be getting any local support and in fact i don't think they would even blend in with the locals.

 

[Kambojaric]

What's NA? Are the reports confirmed? Doesn't seem like small district, if they are able to capture districts that easily they walk over whole country unless there are Western troops/airstrikes.

NA is the Northern Alliance which has traditionally been dominated by non-Pashtun ethnic groups like the Tajiks and Hazaras. Post-US invasion they have dominated Afghanistan and make up if i remember correctly up to 75% of the officers in the Afghan army despite Pashtuns being a majority in the country.
As other members have pointed out the Taliban even at the peak of their power were never able to make significant gains in the north which is inhabited by non-Pashtun ethnic groups so this news comes as a surprise. Im sure the Afghan army will respond to this as in a way they are being struck in their "home ground".

 

[Hindustani78]

Taliban take district in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province | Zee News
Kabul: Taliban militants captured a district in Afghanistan`s northeastern Badakhshan province on Saturday, the local Tolo news channel reported.

"Following heavy clashes, the Yamgan district was captured by Taliban militants this morning," Tolo said, citing local officials.

Meanwhile, Gul Mohammad Bedar, deputy to Badakhshan provincial governor, told Xinhua news agency that heavy clashes were still going on between security forces and Taliban militants, and the government was sending reinforcements to dislodge advancing militants from Yamgan district.

On the other hand, an official on the condition of anonymity said that hundreds of Taliban militants begun attacking checkpoints around Yamgan district headquarters late Friday.

A self-proclaimed spokesman for the Taliban outfit, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the Taliban captured Yamgan district at 10 a.m. and the government forces retreated from the area.

Badakhshan has been the scene of Taliban-led militancy over the past one year and the militants killed 28 government troops in Yamgan`s neighbouring Jarm district last month.

IANS

 

[black-hawk_101]

No body should be scared with this. As the funding of these so called Muslim Jihadis are going to be vanished as GCC and all the other Muslim countries and big giants supporting them are literally bank corrupt or have already become very weak. So, they will vanish too.

Also, NATO along with China, Russia and IRAN-TURKEY-PAKISTAN have a clear choice of using Missiles against them with conventional war heads.

 

[Hindustani78]

No body should be scared with this. As the funding of these so called Muslim Jihadis are going to be vanished as GCC and all the other Muslim countries and big giants supporting them are literally bank corrupt or have already become very weak. So, they will vanish too.

Also, NATO along with China, Russia and IRAN-TURKEY-PAKISTAN have a clear choice of using Missiles against them with conventional war heads.

Tthe fight is about the natural resources of Afghanistan. China and Pakistan wants to keep Afghanistan under its control against the wishes of Afghan People.

TAPI pipeline would have been TAI now but Chinese have blocked the ancient Silk route for India.

 

[Desert Fox]

Tthe fight is about the natural resources of Afghanistan. China and Pakistan wants to keep Afghanistan under its control against the wishes of Afghan People.

Do the Afghans have a choice? Can they afford to antagonize two of their most powerful neighbors, China an economic power and Pakistan a nuclear power, at the behest of india, a country which they don't even border? I don't think so. Chinese influence will spread into Afghanistan and there's really not much Afghans can do about it, especially considering that even Iranians are on good terms with the Chinese.

 

[GR!FF!N]

Do the Afghans have a choice? Can they afford to antagonize two of their most powerful neighbors, China an economic power and Pakistan a nuclear power, at the behest of india, a country which they don't even border? I don't think so. Chinese influence will spread into Afghanistan and there's really not much Afghans can do about it, especially considering that even Iranians are on good terms with the Chinese.

Yes,they have.its their country, their choice.they don't have to care about any neighbor if they choose to.imo,in future, its Iran who is going to be most important neighbor of Afghanistan.

 

[A-Team]

Do the Afghans have a choice? Can they afford to antagonize two of their most powerful neighbors, China an economic power and Pakistan a nuclear power, at the behest of india, a country which they don't even border? I don't think so. Chinese influence will spread into Afghanistan and there's really not much Afghans can do about it, especially considering that even Iranians are on good terms with the Chinese.

That part of your post is a bit condescending in nature my friend!!

We do have a CHOICE like any other sovereign country, we will make friends with whoever that is inline with our national interests. It is in our interests to be friends with all our neighbors but if anyone threatens our existence they will go down burning as well.

China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Stans are very important countries as far as Afghanistan interests are concerned and we want to thrive with you but to say that we will follow dictates from any of you is something thousands of other armies have tried, one should ask their dead on the Afghan soil.

 

[Desert Fox]

That part of your post is a bit condescending in nature my friend!!

We do have a CHOICE like any other sovereign country, we will make friends with whoever that is inline with our national interests. It is in our interests to be friends with all our neighbors but if anyone threatens our existence they will go down burning as well.

So you have a choice to antagonize China and Pakistan at india's behest?

China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Stans are very important countries as far as Afghanistan interests are concerned and we want to thrive with you but to say that we will follow dictates from any of you is something thousands of other armies have tried, one should ask their dead on the Afghan soil.

Nobody said anything about dictating. It's a simple question, can Afghanistan afford to antagonize Pakistan and China at india's behest?

something thousands of other armies have tried, one should ask their dead on the Afghan soil.

Difference is that those other armies were foreigners. Pakistan isn't a foreign entity. We're as warlike and part of this terrain as much as you. If our existence is at stake than no entity, and i mean no one, but God, can dislodge our existence as a nation. Remember, its a two way street. You host our sworn enemy then don't expect us to just sit back and watch.