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Taliban armed groups are seeking power after entering the capital, Kabul, and have seized 26 of the country’s 34 capital cities in the past 10 days.
The armed group was overthrown in a 2001 invasion led by the United States. As foreign troops began to withdraw from the country, the organization intensified its campaign to defeat a Western-backed government in May.
This is an animated map showing how and when the Taliban occupied 26 of the country’s 34 provincial capitals:
Below is a more detailed breakdown of how each provincial capital fell into the Taliban.
August 15
On Sunday, the Taliban occupied at least seven capital cities, including Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province, before encircling the capital Kabul.
August 14
Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province
Taliban militants occupied the country’s fourth largest city, Mazar-e-Sharif, and had a strong defense force, controlling the entire northern part of the country.
August 13
Rashkar Gah, Helmand Province
The capital of the southern province of Helmand is one of the six capital cities occupied by the Taliban on Friday. Security sources said that military and government officials evacuated the city after reaching an agreement with the organization.
Qal-e-Naw, Badghis Province
According to Al Jazeera’s Ali M Latifi, the Taliban also occupied Qal-e-Naw, the capital of the western Badghis province. “Earlier in the summer, the organization briefly took control of the capital before the government regained the capital within a few hours,” he said.
Feruz Koh, Ghor Province
Officials said that Taliban militants took control of the city of Feruz Island in Ghor Province in western Afghanistan without any fighting.
Pule Alam, Logar Province
The Taliban occupied the capital of the central province Logar and arrested the governor of the city and the head of the spy agency.
Terracotta Warriors in Uruzgan Province
The capital of Uruzgan province in the south was captured, and the governor fled to Kabul.
Karat, Zabul Province
The capital of Zabul Province in southern Afghanistan became the 18th city to fall into the hands of the Taliban in a week.
August 12
On August 13, 2021, a car of the Afghan National Security Agency took photos of Taliban fighters on a street in Kandahar [AFP]Ghazny, Province of Ghazny
The capital of Ghazni Province in the southeast is about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of the capital Kabul. It fell on Thursday after intense conflict.
Herat, Herat Province
The capital of Herat Province, the third largest city in the west of the country, fell into the hands of the Taliban after two weeks of fighting.
Kandahar, Kandahar Province
The Taliban claimed to have occupied Kandahar, the second largest city in Afghanistan and the former Taliban stronghold, and dealt a major blow to the Afghan government forces.
August 11
Faizabad, Badakhshan Province
An official said that the Taliban took control of another city in northern Afghanistan, making it the ninth capital city to fall within six days. Badakhshan borders Tajikistan, Pakistan and China.
August 10
Farah Province
Local sources confirmed that after a brief battle with security forces, the capital of this southwestern province was occupied by the Taliban. According to Congressman Abdul Nasri Farahi, the Taliban occupied the province’s central prison. The arrest of Farah also provided another crossing point for the organization to enter Iran.
Pulkumri, Baghlan Province
According to lawmaker Mamur Ahmedzai, the capital of Baghlan Province in the Northern Province is located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital Kabul. After about two hours of fighting, the Taliban fell into the hands of the Taliban. . The capture of Pul-e-Khumri gave the Taliban a triple advantage over bordering northern provinces.
August 9
Ibak, Samangan Province
The capital of the northern province of Samangan is the sixth Afghan provincial capital to collapse in four days. Samangan was once considered to be one of the safest provinces in Afghanistan, and the Taliban have the least presence.
August 8
On August 9, 2021, Afghan internally displaced families fleeing from the fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan security forces in Kunduz and Tahar province collect food in Kabul [File: Wakil Kohsar/AFP]Sar-e-Pul, Sar-e-Pul Province
The Taliban control the northern capital of Sarpur. This is the first of three provincial centers to fall within a few hours. According to Mohammad Noor Rahmani, a member of the Provincial Assembly of Sarpur Province, the organization occupied government buildings in the capital and drove officials out of the city to a nearby military base.
Kunduz, Kunduz Province
Taliban militants seized control of Afghanistan’s fifth largest city and the northern city with a population of 270,000. Kunduz is regarded as a strategic reward and is located at the gateway of the mineral-rich northern provinces and Central Asia.
Tarukan, Tahar Province
The capital of Tahar Province, also in the north, fell into the hands of the Taliban at night. They released prisoners and forced government officials to flee.
August 7
Shebogan, Jazcan Province
The Taliban announced that they had occupied the entire northern province of Jazcan, including its capital, Shebel Khan. According to reports, fierce fighting broke out in the city and the government building was taken over by the Taliban. The city is home to the notorious strongman Abdul Rashid Dostum, who recently returned to Afghanistan after receiving treatment in Turkey.
August 6
Zaranji, Nimruz Province
The city of Zaranje is the first provincial capital to fall into the hands of the Taliban since the Taliban stepped up their attack on the Afghan army in early May. Nimruz Province borders Iran and Pakistan, and Zaranji is considered one of the famous historical cities in this war-torn country.
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