Former Afghan Defence Minister says fall of district to boost Taliban morale

Afghan government is struggling to retake a district in northern Badakhan province, bordering Pakistan, which was captured by Taliban late Friday.

A former Afghan defence minister says that the Taliban capturing of the district will boost their morale and the development is a serious setback for the Afghan government and its forces.

Taliban say their fighters captured “Keran-wa-Manjano” District in Badakhshan province after a major attack and heavy clashes with the Afghan security forces.

The Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, also said Taliban fighters seized over 30 policemen and government employees in the district. He said the district governor and the security chief escaped during the fighting.

The Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman, Siddiq Siddiqi, had earlier confirmed the Taliban control over the district however he said Afghan government forces had a “tactical withdrawal” and that the forces will soon launch operation to retake the area. He said more Afghan troops were sent to the area to push the Taliban out of the area.

Afghan defence experts say that the fall of the district will have a negative impact for the government at a time when the foreign forces are in the process of leaving the country and the Afghan forces will take security responsibility.

“Fall of a district into the hands of the Taliban will boost morale of their fighters and they could use also it part of propaganda that they could take areas. It is a serious setback for the government to lose areas at a time when they will have to prove their ability to perform security responsibility without foreign forces,” former Defence Minister, Shahnawaz Tani told this correspondent from Kabul by the phone on Tuesday.

Tanai, who was also the Afghan Army Chief during the Soviets occupation of Afghanistan, said Badakhshan is strategically and geographically important as it borders Nuristan, Takhar, Kunduz and also near Panjsher provinces and the Taliban advance could have impact on these important provinces.

The Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman told the media in Kabul the security forces were small in number in the district which he also described as less important strategically.

Taliban had earlier launched series of attacks in Wardooj district of Badakhshan, bordering Pakistan’s Chitral district, and killed dozens of Afghan policemen.

Correspondents in the province say that nearly eight districts of the province are under the Taliban threat.

Residents in the district confirmed to Afghan journalists that Taliban fighters had taken control of the area late Friday.

The Taliban spokesman said his fighters took dozens of policemen and government officials into custody and seized huge weapons, vehicles and food items.

Some Afghan defence experts also of the view that control over the district will enable the Taliban to supply weapons to their fighters in neighbouring eastern and northern provinces. Taliban are also in control of some areas in Nuristan, where Pakistani security officials say, Swat Taliban have also established bases.

Afghan media has also reported that after Taliban offensive forced the Afghan security forces to withdraw from the district.

“The Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate launched major attack on the center of the Keran-wa-Manjano Friday night and succeeded to completely take its control,” the Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid said in an earlier statement.

The police chief in Badakhshan province, Imamuddin Mutmayen, was quoted by section of the Afghan as confirming the district was captured by the Taliban Saturday morning following the hours of overnight clashes.

The Taliban claimed capturing of a district a day after they remembered 27 September 1996 when their fighters had entered Kabul and had forced then Rabbani government to flee the capital.

A Taliban statement said that another “historic victory” is near following the 13-year of “jihad” which is waged in absolute cooperation with the Afghan nation.