Taliban captures sixth Afghan provincial capital

The Taliban has captured the sixth province in Afghanistan in four days.

The armed group’s spokesman on Monday morning sent messages to the media, claiming it has overtaken Aibak, the capital of the northern province of Samangan.

Samangan’s deputy provincial governor confirmed the takeover to the AFP news agency.

The Taliban is “in full control”, he said, shortly after a Taliban spokesman tweeted that all government and police installations in Aibak had been “cleared”.

Samangan is the fifth northern province to fall to the Taliban in less than a week, and the sixth overall.

Unlike Jowzjan, Kunduz and Sar-e-Pol, Samangan was once known to be one of the safest provinces in Afghanistan, with a minimal Taliban province.

However, the last three years saw a growing presence of the group in the province.

The fall of Samangan will put further strain on an already stretched Afghan security establishment, as commandos and backup forces are dispatched to the restive provinces.

Meanwhile, residents in Kandahar, Herat and Lashkar Gah say fighting still rages near their capitals, which the Taliban has been trying to overrun for more than a month.

Aljazeera