Taliban fighters say they have captured the cities of Islam Qala near Iran and Torghundi on the border with Turkmenistan. In video footage, Taliban fighters are seen taking down the Afghan flag from the customs office. America is withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Taliban fighters are rapidly taking control of large parts of the country.
The Taliban say its fighters have controlled 85 percent of the country. It is difficult to independently verify this claim. The government has denied this. At the same time, according to other estimates, the Taliban currently controls a third of Afghanistan’s 400 districts. This includes the area from the border of Iran in the west to the border of China on the other side of the country.
This week American troops quietly left the Bagram airfield. This airport has been the center of American operations in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of soldiers once lived here. At the same time, the Afghan authorities have confirmed the passing of Islam Kala and Torghundi into the hands of the Taliban. The Islam Qala border post is also the center of trade between Iran and Afghanistan.
