MAIMANA (SW): As Vice President Gen. Abdul Rasheed Dostum leaves Faryab, Taliban managed to capture three important villages in the restive Qaisar district, officials said.
Officials said that the strategic areas of Khwaja Kenti, Akhtar Khan Bazar and Charhshanbe Bazar have fallen to the rebels. Rahmatullah Qaisari, district chief of Qaisar told SW that the Taliban captured these two strategically important areas when the governent forces left.
He added that the Taliban captured these areas without any resistance from the security forces.
“It is true that Khwaja Kenti fell to the Taliban but fact of the matter is that there was no fighting between Taliban and security forces. Taliban did not capture the area as a result of defeating the security forces. It is clear that when there is no security personnel in an area, Taliban capture it at will”, he said.
Gen. Shirin Shah Kohbandi, Commander of 209th Corpse in Faryab, said in this regard that the security forces evacuated the areas due to lack of proper base in Khwaja Kenti and have moved to Bazar Shakh area. He added that as a result of fighting between security forces and the armed militants in Khwaja Kenti village, 20 armed militants have been killed.
He further said that 3 Afghan security personnel were killed and 3 more were injured.Ghormach-Qaisar highway has been blocked since Taliban captured Khwaja Kenti, Akhtar Khan Bazar and Charshanbe Bazar.
ENDS