Taliban say they now control 85 per cent of Afghanistan's territory

The Taliban claimed on Friday that they now control 85 per cent of Afghanistans territory amid a surge in wins on the ground and as American troops complete their pullout from the warbattered countryThe announcement came at a press conference at the end of a visit by a senior Taliban delegation to Moscow this week mdash a trip meant to offer assurances that the insurgents quick gains in Afghanistan do not threaten Russia or its allies in Central AsiaThe claim which is impossible to verify was considerably higher than previous Taliban statements that more than a third of the countrys 421 districts and district centres were in their control There was no immediate response from the government in Kabul on the latest claimEarlier this week Taliban advances forced hundreds of Afghan soldiers to flee across the border into Tajikistan which hosts a Russian military base Tajikistan in turn called up 20000 military reservists to strengthen its southern border with Afghanistan Russian officials have expressed concern that the Taliban surge could destabilize the exSoviet Central Asian nations north of AfghanistanAlso Read 15 civilians killed as Taliban declares 3day ceasefireSince midApril when President Joe Biden announced the end to Afghanistans ldquoforever warrdquo the Taliban have made strides throughout the country They recently have swept through dozens of districts taking control often without a fight Over the past week they seized border crossings with Tajikistan Uzbekistan and on Thursday with IranHowever at the Moscow presser the Taliban promised not to attack provincial capitals or seize them by force and expressed hopes for a ldquopolitical resolutionrdquo with KabulldquoWe will not seize provincial capitals in order not to inflict death on Afghan citizensrdquo said Taliban negotiator Mawlawi Shahabuddin DelawarGuarantees for that have been presented to the Afghan authorities along with demands for the release of more Taliban prisoners from Afghan jails Dilawar said He added that the Taliban now control 8537 of Afghan territoryThe Taliban also vowed they would not allow anyone any individual any entity to use the soil of Afghanistan against the neighboring country regional country and world country including the United States and its alliesrdquoldquoWe dont want to fight We want to find a political resolution through political negotiationsrdquo said Taliban spokesman Mohammad Sohail Shaheen The Taliban representatives spoke through a translatorIranian media reported Friday that the Taliban were in control of two border crossings between Afghanistan and Iran including the key transit route of Islam Qala seized on Thursday Iranian state radio said 300 Afghan soldiers and civilians had escaped the Taliban advance and slipped across the border to IranIn southern Kandahar there was fighting on Friday near the provincial capital and the government had sent more troops to protect the prison there from attempts by the Taliban to attack it and free the inmatesMoscow which fought a 10year war in Afghanistan that ended with Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989 has made a diplomatic comeback as a mediator reaching out to feuding Afghan factions as it has jockeyed with the US for influence in the countryIt has hosted several rounds of talks on Afghanistan most recently in March that involved the Taliban mdash even though Russia has labelled them a terrorist organisationAsked about this weeks visit and the terrorist label Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Moscows contacts with the Taliban were ldquonecessary given how intensely the situation in Afghanistan is developing how the situation on the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is developingrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever