Taliban claim Afghan border crossing with Pakistan in major gain
Militants say they have made what could be their most significant advance in a nationwide offensive
People wave a Taliban flag at the Pakistani border town of Chaman. The Taliban claim to have captured the Afghan side of the crossing at Spin Boldak.
Photograph: Asghar Achakzai/AFP/Getty Images
Taliban fighters said on Wednesday that they had taken control of one of Afghanistan’s main border crossings with Pakistan, perhaps their most strategic gain so far in a rapid advance across the country as US forces pull out.
A Pakistani official said fighters had taken down the Afghan government flag at the Spin Boldak crossing between the Pakistani town of Chaman and the Afghan town of Wesh.
The crossing, south of Afghanistan’s main southern city of Kandahar, is the landlocked country’s second busiest entry point and the main link between its vast south-west and Pakistani ports. Afghan government data shows that 900 trucks a day use it.
The takeover forced Pakistan to seal parts of its border with Afghanistan after heavy fighting between Taliban and Afghan forces around Wesh.
Afghan officials said government forces had pushed back the Taliban fighters and were in control of the Spin Boldak crossing, also in Kandahar province, but civilians and Pakistani officials said the Taliban controlled the Wesh border posts.
“Wesh, which has great importance in Afghan trade with Pakistan and other countries, has been captured by the Taliban,” said a Pakistani security official deployed at the border area.
Officials in Chaman said the Taliban had suspended all travel through the gate. “The mujahideen have captured an important border town called Wesh,” the Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
The Taliban, who have been fighting to expel foreign forces and defeat the US-backed government in Kabul since they were ousted in 2001, have in recent days seized other major border crossings in Herat, Farah and Kunduz provinces in the north and west.
Control of border posts allows the Taliban to collect revenue, said Shafiqullah Attai, the head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment in Kabul. “Income has started to go to the Taliban,” he said.
The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, travelled to the northern province of Balkh on Tuesday to assess security after the Taliban pushed government forces out of several districts there.
He met civilians and assured them that “the Taliban’s backbone will be broken” and government forces would soon retake all of the areas lost to the militants, the Tolo News network reported.
The country’s vice-president, Amrullah Saleh, said on Twitter that the Taliban were forcing members of a small ethnic minority to either convert to Islam or leave their homes in the northern province of Badakhshan.
“These are minority Kyrgyz who lived there for centuries … They are now in Tajikistan awaiting their fate,” he said.
A Taliban spokesperson was not immediately available for comment, but the UN mission in Afghanistan said it was increasingly concerned about reports of rights abuses as the fighting spreads.
“The reports of killing, ill-treatment, persecution and discrimination are widespread and disturbing, creating fear and insecurity,” it said in a statement.
Educated Afghans, especially women and girls barred from school and most jobs under the Taliban, have expressed alarm at the militants’ rapid advance, as have members of ethnic and sectarian minorities persecuted under their severe interpretation of Sunni Islam.
Taliban spokespeople reject accusations that they abuse rights, and say they will not mistreat women if they return to power.
“The best way to end harm to civilians is for peace talks to be reinvigorated in order for a negotiated settlement to be reached,” the UN mission said.
The Taliban made a commitment to negotiate with their Afghan rivals as part of an agreement under which the US offered to withdraw its forces, but little progress has been made toward a ceasefire in several rounds of talks in Qatar.
Senior politicians from Kabul were preparing to leave for Qatar for more talks this month as western diplomats urged the two sides to work toward a power-sharing agreement.
A Pakistani official said fighters had taken down the Afghan government flag at the Spin Boldak crossing between the Pakistani town of Chaman and the Afghan town of Wesh.
The crossing, south of Afghanistan’s main southern city of Kandahar, is the landlocked country’s second busiest entry point and the main link between its vast south-west and Pakistani ports. Afghan government data shows that 900 trucks a day use it.
The takeover forced Pakistan to seal parts of its border with Afghanistan after heavy fighting between Taliban and Afghan forces around Wesh.
Afghan officials said government forces had pushed back the Taliban fighters and were in control of the Spin Boldak crossing, also in Kandahar province, but civilians and Pakistani officials said the Taliban controlled the Wesh border posts.
“Wesh, which has great importance in Afghan trade with Pakistan and other countries, has been captured by the Taliban,” said a Pakistani security official deployed at the border area.
Officials in Chaman said the Taliban had suspended all travel through the gate. “The mujahideen have captured an important border town called Wesh,” the Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
The Taliban, who have been fighting to expel foreign forces and defeat the US-backed government in Kabul since they were ousted in 2001, have in recent days seized other major border crossings in Herat, Farah and Kunduz provinces in the north and west.
Control of border posts allows the Taliban to collect revenue, said Shafiqullah Attai, the head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment in Kabul. “Income has started to go to the Taliban,” he said.
The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, travelled to the northern province of Balkh on Tuesday to assess security after the Taliban pushed government forces out of several districts there.
He met civilians and assured them that “the Taliban’s backbone will be broken” and government forces would soon retake all of the areas lost to the militants, the Tolo News network reported.
The country’s vice-president, Amrullah Saleh, said on Twitter that the Taliban were forcing members of a small ethnic minority to either convert to Islam or leave their homes in the northern province of Badakhshan.
“These are minority Kyrgyz who lived there for centuries … They are now in Tajikistan awaiting their fate,” he said.
A Taliban spokesperson was not immediately available for comment, but the UN mission in Afghanistan said it was increasingly concerned about reports of rights abuses as the fighting spreads.
“The reports of killing, ill-treatment, persecution and discrimination are widespread and disturbing, creating fear and insecurity,” it said in a statement.
Educated Afghans, especially women and girls barred from school and most jobs under the Taliban, have expressed alarm at the militants’ rapid advance, as have members of ethnic and sectarian minorities persecuted under their severe interpretation of Sunni Islam.
Taliban spokespeople reject accusations that they abuse rights, and say they will not mistreat women if they return to power.
“The best way to end harm to civilians is for peace talks to be reinvigorated in order for a negotiated settlement to be reached,” the UN mission said.
The Taliban made a commitment to negotiate with their Afghan rivals as part of an agreement under which the US offered to withdraw its forces, but little progress has been made toward a ceasefire in several rounds of talks in Qatar.
Senior politicians from Kabul were preparing to leave for Qatar for more talks this month as western diplomats urged the two sides to work toward a power-sharing agreement.
Taliban now wan to be fren fren……wouldn’t surprise me if Bullyland reciprocates. They have a history of being fren fren with cruel regimes like Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge in the 70s. Coming soon….100 million doses of Sinovac to protect Taliban from the virus.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3140399/china-welcome-friend-reconstruction-afghanistan-taliban
QUOTE
China a ‘welcome friend’ for reconstruction in Afghanistan: Taliban spokesman
The Taliban sees China as a “friend” to Afghanistan and is hoping to talk to Beijing about investing in reconstruction work “as soon as possible”, the group’s spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Wednesday. In an exclusive interview with This Week in Asia, Suhail said the Taliban now controlled 85 per cent of the country and that it would guarantee the safety of Chinese investors and workers if they were to return. “We welcome them. If they have investments of course we ensure their safety. Their safety is very important for us,” he said by phone.
Suhail also said the Taliban would no longer allow China’s Uyghur separatist fighters, some of whom had previously sought refuge in Afghanistan, to enter the country. The Taliban would also prevent al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group from operating there.
The interview comes as the Taliban advances in Afghanistan’s northern provinces following the near complete withdrawal of US troops from the country. US intelligence agencies believe the government in Kabul is now likely to collapse within six months of the withdrawal, allowing the Taliban back into power 20 years after it was overthrown.
The US invaded the country after the September 11, 2001 attacks carried out by al-Qaeda in New York and Washington, claiming the Taliban had been sheltering the terrorist group.
Suhail said following the departure of US troops it was “necessary [to] hold talks” with China, the biggest investor in Afghanistan. “We have been to China many times and we have good relations with them,” Suhail said. “China is a friendly country that we welcome for reconstruction and developing Afghanistan.”
UNQUOTE
Blurred mfer, u didn't read the reaction of Wang Yi (王毅）- the foreign minister of China on the Taliban invitation?
DeleteOoop…
U only read what u wanted to read!
Bullyland “won’t interfere”….”give financial and technical help” to the cruel Taliban..?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228389.shtml
QUOTE
China to serve as ‘mediator’ for regional security on Afghan issue during Wang Yi’s visit to Central Asia
By Xu Keyue and Wan Lin
Published: Jul 11, 2021
As the Chinese foreign minister is scheduled to visit three Central Asian countries on Monday, all close neighbors of Afghanistan, the timing is optimal as Afghanistan has become a regional hot spot following the withdrawal of US-led troops, Chinese analysts said.
The visit will provide a platform for China and the three countries to cooperate on regional security and China may offer financial and technical help for the countries that face challenges in securing border areas, analysts said.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan between July 12 and 16 on the invitation of the foreign ministers of the three countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on Friday.
During the visit, Wang Yi will meet with leaders of the three Central Asian countries and hold talks with their foreign ministers, according to the spokesperson…..
….Yang said that China might offer financial or technical help to the countries as they face challenges in securing the border areas.
China's consistent position on the Afghan issue is to respect Afghanistan's historical and current conditions, and to help but not interfere, which is also what separates China from the US and makes China a mediator, or a "guarantor of security" in the region, noted Yang…..
….They believe that China's role in helping restore order in Afghanistan fits its image of a responsible power and regional stabilizer. The process of multilateral negotiations on Afghanistan issues requires profound cooperation in various fields such as economic and counter-terrorism cooperation, the analysts said.
If stability were achieved in Afghanistan, it would bring great convenience to the flow of cargo between China and Eurasia which is beneficial for cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and helps recovery of the regional economy, they noted.
Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said last Wednesday that the organization sees China as a "friend" to Afghanistan and is hoping to talk to Beijing about investing in reconstruction work "as soon as possible."….
….As the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, during his visit to the Central Asian countries, Wang Yi will also attend multilateral events including the SCO foreign ministers' meeting and have friendly exchanges with foreign ministers of other participating countries. Wang will discuss the situation in Afghanistan with SCO officials.
UNQUOTE
Mfer, humanitarian helps ain't interference!
DeleteAs in donation of Sinovac vaccine. Afghan r human too.
Oooop…
In that humanitarianism u fish from that fart filled well, such helps must comply with yr f*cked demoNcratic definition.
The Original Mao clothed and fed Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge in the 1970s while they went about slaughtering 2 million Khmers, the New Mao will clothe, feed and vaccinate the Talibans while they…….
ReplyDelete
DeleteWow!!!
That's how u have interpreted yr f*cked demoNcratized humanitarianism!
Not all Afghan r Taliban. Neither r all Taliban evil-minded. Many r been forced by circumstances. These r the one that WOULD appreciate real humanitarian acts during their hour of need.
They r the one that would eventually bring sensibilities & peace to Afghanistan.
Just liken to how the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s brought down pol pot & rebuilt Cambodia!
For u mfer, u just want all of them to go to hell just for yr egoistic altarized demoNcracy. For u, no demoNcracy means no true freedom!
Just remember u r the f*cker has lost all sense of humanity yet still chanting yr hypocritical & altruistic jingos of fake humanitarianism.