After US withdrawal, Taliban captures important border town between Afghanistan and Pakistan
Taliban forces in Afghanistan have taken control of an important border town in the southern province of Kandahar, which has a border crossing with neighboring Pakistan.
The border crossing at Wesh town is one of the busiest entry points and the main link between the southwestern region of Afghanistan and Pakistan's ports. Local sources said the Taliban tore the Afghan flag from the main gate of the crossing between Afghanistan and the Pakistani town of Chaman.
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A Taliban spokesman also confirmed this on Twitter. Meanwhile, a Taliban gunman present in the town of Wesh announced that the armed group would ensure security for traders and people crossing the border.
“My message to the traders is that their security is guaranteed and they can continue their business. We have appointed security guards here. We ask the traders to continue their business and continue their activities as usual. The mujahideen have been assigned to their positions. This is an economic area and the Islamic State wants to maintain good relations with its neighbors and cooperate in a spirit of trust,” said a Taliban fighter present in the town of Wesh.
The militant group also announced that it would restore travel and transit through the border crossing once an agreement is reached with Pakistan. This new development comes amid the ongoing violence in Afghanistan.
The Taliban are stepping up attacks on civilians and Afghan government security forces as foreign forces prepare to fully withdraw from the South Asian country in the coming weeks.
Last week, the Afghan government said that the Taliban’s capture of a number of the country’s key dry ports has disrupted imports and exports, negatively affecting economic activities. The Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) said the Taliban had seized seven major dry ports that facilitate trade with Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
In the fall of 2020, as the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan became clearer following a peace deal with the Taliban, some of Kabul’s most senior security officials urged President Ashraf Ghani to make some tough choices.
The US intelligence community recently said that the Afghan government could collapse within six months after the US completes its withdrawal from the South Asian country. The US has now withdrawn more than half of its 3,500 troops and equipment, with the rest due to be completely withdrawn by September 11 this year.
