Sheberghan, Afghanistan, 07 August 2021 (AlJazeera)
The Taliban forces has captured the city of Sheberghan, the second Afghan provincial capital reported by AlJazeera reporter Charlotte Bellis from the Afghan capital Kabul. He said the situation on the ground is nuanced and fluid.
“The Taliban put out a statement saying they have taken the city of Sherbegan earlier this afternoon,” Bellis said.
“The government is denying the Taliban have a taken full control of the city. The ministry of interior have told us they are going to launch a counter-offensive, that they are sending reinforcement, special forces and have started air strikes,” Bellis added.
Provincial councillor Bismillah Sahil said the Taliban fighters had taken over key buildings such as the governor’s office, the police headquarters and the central prison in the city.
Qader Malia, the deputy governor of Sheberghan in Jawzjan province, said on Saturday that government forces and officials had retreated to the airport on the outskirts of the northern Afghan city, where they were preparing to defend themselves.
BBC reported that US and UK governments have urged its citizens to leave the country immediately because of the worsening security situation.
On Friday, the British Foreign Office warned that militants were very likely to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. The US said citizen can receive a repatriation loan if they cannot afford to pay for a commercial flight themselves.
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