Taliban seize district on outskirts of Kabul

KABUL: The Taliban have seized a district from Afghan government forces on the outskirts of Kabul, ahead of a three-day ceasefire agreed between the warring sides, officials said.

Nerkh district is around 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Afghan capital in neighbouring Wardak province, which has long been used by militants as a gateway to reach Kabul and launch deadly attacks.

Violence has soared since May 1 when the US military began formally withdrawing its last remaining troops, as peace efforts between the Taliban and the Afghan government have stalled.

“Security and defence forces made a tactical retreat from the police headquarters of Nerkh district,” Interior Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian told AFP.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said the insurgents had captured the area on Tuesday, adding that their fighters had seized the police headquarters and an army base.

The Defence Ministry on Wednesday said it would launch an offensive to win back the district, home to more than 60,000 people. “Commando reinforcements are on their way,” said Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the defence ministry.

Large swathes of Wardak and neighbouring Logar province have been controlled or contested for years by Taliban fighters and have served as a strategic staging ground for militants hoping to enter Kabul. The main highway that connects Kabul to southern Kandahar province—the former Taliban stronghold and the scene of intense fighting in recent weeks—goes through the district.

Taliban fighters have been encircling major Afghan urban centres, spurring speculation the militants are waiting for the Americans to withdraw before launching all-out assaults on Afghan cities.

The capture of Nerkh comes after the Taliban and the Afghan government agreed to observe a three-day ceasefire to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday starting on Thursday.

The US military has so far completed between six and 12 percent of its final withdrawal, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

The Afghan defence ministry announced on Wednesday that it had taken control of Camp Morehead, a US base in Kabul where American troops trained the Afghan military.The camp will now be used by Afghan special forces.The US military did not offer any immediate comment.