Taliban fighters seized control on Thursday of a key district in western Afghanistan that includes a major border crossing with Iran, according to Afghan security officials, as the militia continued their rapid military advances around the country, reported Dawn.
In the last week, as per the report, the Taliban have overrun areas bordering five countries — Pakistan, China, Iran, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan — as foreign forces end their two-decade intervention and the domestic security situation deteriorates.
Pitched battles between Taliban fighters and Afghan government forces were also under way in the northern Balkh province bordering Uzbekistan, read the report.
As per Dawn, two senior security officials said the Islam Qala border crossing with Iran, located in Herat province, had fallen to the Taliban and that Afghan security and customs officials had fled across the border.