Source: DW
The Taliban have captured their sixth provincial capital in four days — including a city where German troops were stationed for a decade. Now, some want the Bundeswehr to go back in, but the defense minister says no.
On Monday, the militant Taliban announced they had captured Aybak, the capital of the northern Afghan province of Samangan — the sixth provincial capital to fall to the group in four days.
Reports from the city say pro-government forces fled Aybak after the government in Kabul failed to send reinforcements and air support.
Monday’s news followed that of similar military victories over the weekend in which the radical group captured capitals across the country in quick succession, including Kunduz — a strategic crossroads with good access to much of northern Afghanistan, as well as the capital, Kabul, about 335 kilometers (200 miles) away.
One of Afghanistan’s larger cities, Kunduz served as home to the German army, or Bundeswehr, for the last 10 years of its 20-year deployment. It remained so until the last German soldiers were brought home this June.
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