Kabul:
Afghan authorities on Saturday imposed a evening-time curfew across 31 of the country’s 34 provinces to curb surging violence unleashed by a sweeping Taliban offensive in current months, the interior ministry mentioned.
The widespread Taliban offensive has seen the insurgents capture essential border crossings, dozens of districts and encircle quite a few provincial capitals considering the fact that early May.
“To curb violence and limit the Taliban movements a night curfew has been imposed in 31 provinces across the country,” except in Kabul, Panjshir and Nangarhar, the interior ministry mentioned in a statement.
The curfew will be successful amongst 10:00 pm and 4:00 am nearby time, Ahmad Zia Zia, deputy interior ministry spokesman mentioned in a separate audio statement to reporters.
With the withdrawal of American-led foreign forces all but total, the resurgent Taliban now controls about half of Afghanistan’s roughly 400 districts.
After a short lull in violence throughout this week’s Muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha, fighting continued once more with the authorities claiming to have killed more than 260 Taliban fighters in the previous 24 hours across quite a few provinces.
Both the authorities and the Taliban exaggerate their claims which can’t be independently verified.
As the fighting raged in current weeks, the US military was forced to carry out air strikes “to support” Afghan troops to repel Taliban offensives even as its general withdrawal continues, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby mentioned on Thursday.
Experts say a lack of typical US air help considering the fact that May to Afghan forces on the ground is a essential aspect in government troops losing lot of territory to the Taliban.
Late on Friday, the Taliban warned the US military against carrying out air strikes.
“It is a clear violation of the signed agreement that will have consequences,” the Taliban mentioned in a statement, referring to a landmark deal amongst Washington and the insurgents last year that paved the way for the withdrawal of foreign forces.
The Taliban also warned the Afghan government against launching any offensive, saying the group will “strongly defend their territories and not remain in a defensive posture if the enemy insists upon war”.
The Taliban had mentioned earlier this week that its fighters had been in a “defensive” posture to mark the Eid al-Adha holidays that ended on Thursday.
Earlier this week, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of employees General Mark Milley mentioned the Taliban seem to have “strategic momentum” on the battlefield.
With the militants placing stress on about half of the country’s provincial capitals, Afghan troops are in the method of “consolidating their forces” to safeguard these key urban centres, Milley added.
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