Taliban continue to make gains across Afghanistan

The Taliban have captured three more regional capitals in Afghanistan as they continue to make sweeping advances across the war-torn country.

Militants seized control of the key northern city of Kunduz on Sunday, as well as Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan – marking the fifth regional capital to be captured since Friday.

The Taliban have ramped up their campaign in recent weeks, as American and NATO forces prepare to remove the last of their troops out of Afghanistan this month.

Militants have captured large swathes of the countryside and are now targeting key towns and cities.

Armed men swept into Kunduz on Sunday, a strategic city close to the border with Tajikistan and an important political and military hub. By mid-morning they controlled the city centre while pro-government forces retreated to the nearby airport.

Previously, the insurgents entered Kunduz in 2015 and again in 2016, but Afghan troops – backed by US and British special forces – pushed the militants out within days. 

The international community has condemned the militant campaign, with the UN warning that a military victory and takeover by the Taliban would not be recognised.

The Taliban’s political office told Al-Jazeera last night that there was no agreement on a ceasefire with the Afghan government and warned against further US intervention.

General Sir Richard Barrons, a former senior UK military commander, described the withdrawal of western troops as a “strategic mistake” and warned that Afghanistan could once again become a base for international terrorism “to bring harm in Europe and elsewhere.”

He told BBC Radio 4 that the withdrawal suggested that “we don’t have the stomach to see these things through and we would rather leave than ensure that a humanitarian or political crisis doesn’t occur”.

The Taliban’s latest advances come as more than 40 former senior British military figures urge the government to relocate more of the Afghans who worked alongside the UK in its campaign against the Taliban.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, senior military figures said they were “gravely concerned” for hundreds of interpreters whose claims had been rejected because they were dismissed for incidents deemed “serious” or employed indirectly, for example, through contractors.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: “We carefully assess each application for relocation under the criteria of the ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy).”

“Those who were dismissed for serious offences, including those that constitute a crime in the UK or threatened the safety and security of British troops, will continue to be excluded.”