Taliban seizes Paktia province just south of Afghanistan's capital Kabul and launches a multi-pronged assault on Mazar-e-Sharif, a major city in the north defended by powerful former warlords
The Taliban has seized a province just south of Afghanistan's capital and launched a multi-pronged assault on a major city in the north defended by powerful former warlords.
The Taliban also attacked the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif from several directions, setting off heavy fighting on its outskirts, according to Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor. There was no immediate word on casualties. The president had flown to Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday to rally the city's defences, meeting with several militia commanders, including Abdul Rashid Dostum and Ata Mohammad Noor, who command thousands of fighters.
The Taliban have made major advances in recent days, including capturing Herat and Kandahar, the country's second-and third-largest cities. They now control 19 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, leaving the Western-backed government in control of a smattering of provinces in the center and east, as well as Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.
The Taliban, meanwhile, released a video announcing the takeover of the main radio station in the southern city of Kandahar, renaming it the Voice of Sharia, or Islamic law. The Taliban have used mobile radio stations over the years, but have not operated a station inside a major city since they ruled the country from 1996-2001. At that time, they also ran a station called Voice of Sharia out of Kandahar, the birthplace of the militant group. Music was banned.
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