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The Taliban armed group has taken control of Ghazni, the capital of Ghazni province, about 130 km (80 miles) southwest of the capital Kabul.
It becomes the 10th provincial capital to fall in a few days.
Charlotte Bellis of Al Jazeera, reporting from Kabul, says the governor of Ghazni province was arrested in Wardak province after fleeing the city of Ghazni thanks to a deal with the Taliban, ceding the city to him in exchange for ‘a safe passage.
Meanwhile, a government source told Al Jazeera that the Afghan government has offered the Taliban a share of power as long as the rise in violence in the country stops.
Here are all the latest updates:
Who are the main Taliban leaders in Afghanistan?
The Taliban have been fighting the Western-backed Afghan government in Kabul since it was ousted from power in 2001.
It originally included members of so-called “mujahedin” fighters who, with the support of the United States, pushed back Soviet forces in the 1980s.
Read more here.
Timeline: the Taliban’s rapid advance through Afghanistan
Here is a non-exhaustive list of some of the main milestones and advances of the group in recent months.
A Taliban fighter stands guard at the entrance to the Ghazni police headquarters [AFP]
France suspends deportations of migrants to Afghanistan
France has suspended the deportation of Afghan migrants whose asylum claims had been rejected, due to the deteriorating security situation in the country as the Taliban launch an offensive, the government said.
The French interior ministry told AFP news agency in a statement that this policy had been in place since early July, after similar announcements of the suspension of these deportations by Germany and the Netherlands.
Governor of Ghazni arrested “for surrendering without a fight”
The governor of Ghazni province has been arrested in Wardak province, south of Kabul, reports Ali M Latifi of Al Jazeera from Kabul.
The arrest comes after a video showed him fleeing the city of Ghazni after it fell to the Taliban, he said.
Charlotte Bellis of Al Jazeera, also reporting from Kabul, later said the governor made a deal with the Taliban for safe passage, which led to her arrest.
“The governor has decided to make a deal with the Taliban to come out unharmed and we understand that it was given by the Taliban in exchange for handing over the city,” she said.
“The Interior Ministry confirmed to us that they arrested him before he reached Kabul” for having surrendered without a fight. “
Pakistan is only useful to the United States to clean up the Afghan “mess”: Khan
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused the United States of seeing his country as useful only in the context of the “mess” it is leaving behind in Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting.
Washington has urged Pakistan to use its influence over the Taliban to negotiate an elusive peace deal as negotiations between the fighters and the Afghan government stall and violence in Afghanistan has escalated sharply.
Read more here.
Taliban fighters patrol the town of Ghazni [Gulabuddin Amiri/AP]
Afghan government gives Taliban some power
A government source confirmed to Al Jazeera that the Afghan government has offered the Taliban a share of power as long as the rise in violence in the country ceases.
The proposal was handed over by Qatar, the host of the Afghan peace talks, according to the source, reports Ali M Latifi of Al Jazeera from Kabul.
Taliban take Ghazni town on route to Afghan capital (official)
Taliban fighters seize the city of Ghazni, the 10th provincial capital, which they captured in several days.
A senior security official told Reuters news agency that the Taliban captured Ghazni, which sits on the highway between Kabul and Kandahar’s second city, and occupied all the seats in his government agency after violent clashes.
“All local government officials, including the provincial governor, have been evacuated to Kabul,” said the official who declined to be identified.
Denmark to evacuate former local employees
Denmark has agreed to evacuate current and former employees of the Danish embassy or Danish armed forces in Afghanistan due to the worsening security situation, according to the government.
Denmark will grant people who have been employed in the previous two years and their relatives temporary residence permits for two years, according to the government.
“The security situation in Afghanistan is serious. The Taliban are gaining ground and developments are accelerating faster than many feared, ”the government said in a statement.
“We have a common responsibility to help the Afghans who are now threatened because of their connection and their contribution to Denmark’s engagement in Afghanistan,” he said.
Final day of Afghanistan talks begins in Doha
Mohammed Jamjoom of Al Jazeera, reporting from Doha, said the third and final day of multinational talks on Afghanistan began in the Qatari capital.
“The delegations that we have not yet seen appearing here today at the main venue of these talks are the delegations of the Afghan government and the Taliban,” he said.
“I spoke with a member of the Afghan government delegation who said he expects to meet the envoys who have gathered here in this room at around 2:00 p.m. Doha time (11:00 GMT).”
Private militia loyal to Ismail Khan, the former mujahedin commander of Herat province [Hamed Sarfarazi/AP]“The feeling we have from all diplomats is that they are extremely concerned about what is happening in Afghanistan and that they are trying to come up with some kind of joint plan in order to get the situation under control.”
The talks include diplomats and envoys from the US, UK, EU, China, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as well as the UN.
No German money for Afghanistan if Sharia law was introduced: FM
Germany will not provide financial support to Afghanistan if the Taliban seize power in the country and introduce Sharia law, its foreign minister told ZDF television station.
“We provide 430 million euros ($ 505 million) every year, we won’t give a dime more if the Taliban take control of the country and introduce Sharia law,” Heiko Maas said.
Taliban fighters are seen in the town of Farah [Mohammad Asif Khan/AP]
The governor leaves the city of Ghazni
Rob McBride of Al Jazeera, reporting from Kabul, says the town of Ghazni itself has fallen to the Taliban, but there is still fighting around the intelligence complex.
“The governor of Ghazni has effectively left the city,” he said.
“This is a significant gain for the Taliban. There has been a lot of fighting around the town of Ghazni for the past few days. It was always thought that if another provincial capital was about to fall, it would probably be Ghazni. “
Police headquarters fall to Taliban in Lashkar Gah
The Taliban have captured the police headquarters in Lashkar Gah, a provincial capital in southern Afghanistan that is on the verge of being lost to the armed group as suspected US airstrikes pounded the area, said a manager.
A suicide car bomb attack on Wednesday marked the latest wave targeting the regional police headquarters in the capital.
The Taliban took the building on Thursday, with some police officers surrendering to the group and others retreating to the neighboring governor’s office still held by government forces, said Nasima Niazi, a lawmaker from Helmand.
Niazi said she believed the Taliban attack killed and injured members of the security forces, but had no figures on the number of casualties.
Thousands of displaced families in a park in Kabul [Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency]
Taliban launch attacks on Ghazni from multiple directions
The Taliban appear to be putting pressure on Ghazni, the capital of Ghazni province, about 130 km (80 miles) southwest of Kabul.
Wahidullah Jumazada, spokesman for the provincial governor of Ghazni, admitted that fighters launched attacks from several directions on the capital, but insisted the government remained in control.
The Taliban posted a video online claiming they did so inside the provincial capital.
Local sources told Al Jazeera that fighting continues in Ghazni. The most intense fighting remains near the intelligence headquarters as special forces and the military fight to push back the Taliban.
Taliban violate Kandahar central prison, release prisoners
Local security sources have confirmed information from the Taliban that the group raped the central prison in Kandahar City, reports Ali M Latifi of Al Jazeera from Kabul.
The armed group claims to have released “hundreds” of prisoners, he said.
“Previously the Taliban violated Kandahar prison in 2008 and 2011, these violations also led to the escape of hundreds of prisoners.
UN: Nearly 390,000 newly displaced people in Afghanistan
Nearly 390,000 people have been recently displaced by conflict in Afghanistan since the start of the year, with a huge spike since May, a UN spokesperson said.
“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that between July 1 and August 5, 2021, the humanitarian community verified that 5,800 internally displaced people arrived in Kabul and seek shelter from the conflict and other threats, ”UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
He added that a multibillion-dollar humanitarian aid fund for Afghanistan had a deficit of 800 million dollars.
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