Afghanistan War Updates: Taliban Captures Military Base In Kunduz; Army Chief Replaced

Kabul: Afghanistan has replaced its army chief, as Taliban militants continue to make rapid advances.

On the other hand, the Taliban has captured the airport in Kunduz amid the mass surrender of an entire corps of the Afghanistan army as the insurgents consolidated their hold on the country’s northern region and captured three more provincial capitals in a day. Videos on social media showed dozens of security force members in Kunduz surrendering to the Taliban.

The Taliban also broke into the Kandahar central jail and released hundreds of incarcerated prisoners. Afghan media outlets quoted Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousaf Ahmadi to confirm that the group had managed to “conquer” the Kandahar central jail on Wednesday.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani returned to the capital Wednesday after a flying visit to the besieged northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to rally his beleaguered forces, with Taliban fighters having now taken more than a quarter of the country’s provincial capitals in less than a week.

A US defence official said on Wednesday that Taliban fighters could take over Kabul in 90 days.

The Taliban has already gained vast parts of rural Afghanistan since launching a series of offensives in May to coincide with the start of the final withdrawal of US-led foreign forces after a 20-year presence.

The insurgents have been capturing new territory on what seems like a daily basis as international troops have all but withdrawn. Caught in the middle is a terrified population.

Tens of thousands of ordinary Afghans have had to flee their homes – hundreds have been killed or injured in recent weeks.