WEB DESK
KHYBER: The Taliban took control of another provincial capital in Afghanistan on Monday, with an EU official saying the Taliban now controlled 65% of the country after the U.S. began withdrawing troops.
According to multiple sources, that Farah, a provincial capital in western Afghanistan, had also been captured by the Taliban on Monday.
An unnamed European Union official told Reuters, 65% of the country’s land is now under the Taliban control.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on regional strongmen to support his government after a stunning string of Taliban gains as U.S.-led foreign forces pull out, while a UN official said the gains made in human rights over the past 20 years were in danger of being erased.
In the capital Kabul, Ghani’s aides said he was seeking help from regional militias he has squabbled with over the years to rally to the defense of his government. He had also appealed to civilians to defend Afghanistan’s “democratic fabric.”
A U.S. envoy arrived Tuesday in Qatar, where the Taliban has a diplomatic presence, to persuade the group to agree to a ceasefire, according to Media.
The head of the Taliban’s military on Tuesday ordered his soldiers to harm no one in captured territories, including the Afghan military or government officials.
