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Taliban lock Indian consulates for ‘security' in Kandahar, Herat: Sources
The owner of the Indian consulate premises in Herat received a call from the Taliban to come to the building with keys after the city fell to the insurgents.
As the Taliban offensive is escalating in Afghanistan with the insurgents reaching a few metres away from Kabul, sources said the rented premises housing the Indian consulates have been locked by the insurgents, claiming security reasons. “The Taliban, after taking over Kandahar city, put a lock on our rented Consulate premises there, claiming that it was being done as a security measure and will be opened when a responsible person (Indian) comes. Likewise, the owner of our consulate premises in Herat received a call from the Taliban to come to the building with keys,” a source said.
Also Read: Taliban set hard conditions for peace talks with Afghan govt
82 districts in the country are now under the Afghanistan government, while 252 are under the control of the Taliban and the status of 92 are disputed. The Afghan government has claimed that in the last 24 hours, in which the Taliban have taken over the Angoor Adda border crossing between Paktika Province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, 172 Taliban were killed and 107 wounded as a result of ANDSF operations in Nangarhar, Logar, Maidan Wardak, Kandahar and Balkh Provinces.
The Taliban captured Asadabad, the provincial capital of Kunar; Sharan, the provincial capital of Paktika; and Gardez, the provincial capital of Paktia, taking the number of Provincial capitals under its control to 20 out of 34. Taliban also captured Sarawazah district of Paktika and Shigal district of Kunar Province. Besides, the Taliban set free the prisoners after taking over Central prisons in Gardez, Sharan and Maimanah (Farhan).
The US Embassy in Kabul is now planning to reduce its strength to a bare minimum by August 17.
On Saturday, President Ashraf Ghani addressed his countrymen and promised that the situation will not be allowed to escalate anymore as the Afghan leadership is in talks with world leaders to mobilise the army.
An Afghan leaders' delegation would leave for Islamabad on August 15, which will include Yunus Qanooni, Mohammad Karim Khalili, Ustaad Mohaqiq, Ahmad Zia Masoud, Khalid Noor, Latif Pedram, Syed Mansoor Naderi (all non-Pashtuns), and Kalimullah Naqibi, a Pashtun but affiliated to the Jamiat-e-Islami.
Another Afghan delegation under Abdullah Abdullah would visit Doha. Abdullah has an ‘important ‘ meeting in Kabul on Sunday and would, therefore, not leave for Doha tonight, as was earlier expected, sources said.
Leaders of Afghan refugees in Iran on Saturday issued a joint statement urging the international community to prevent human catastrophe due to internal displacement and called for a session of the UNSC to address the issue. Separately, the Iranian culture ministry has asked its media to refrain from using terms such as “brutality” (vahsigari) for the Taliban.
