Afghan capital: Taliban stand before Kabul

The radical Islamic Taliban have started the attack on the Afghan capital Kabul. According to the Interior Ministry, they are advancing from all sides. The Taliban declared that they did not want to bring Kabul under control by force.

According to several Afghan officials, the Taliban have arrived in three outskirts of the capital Kabul and launched their attack. They attacked from all sides, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry. Kabul is the last major city that has not yet been conquered by the Taliban.

The Taliban announced in a statement that they did not want to bring Kabul under their control “by force”. “Nobody’s life, property and dignity will be harmed, and the lives of Kabul’s citizens will not be in danger.”

All people who want to leave Kabul will be granted a safe exit. The Taliban fighters are instructed to avoid the use of force. Women should go to sheltered places. A NATO official said several EU officials had been moved to a safe location in Kabul.

According to the President’s Office, the situation is “under control”

Gunfire broke out at one point in the refugee-filled capital, but the Afghan Presidential Office issued a statement assuring that the situation was under control. “The defense and security forces are working with the international units for the security of the city of Kabul and the situation is under control,” it said.

On Sunday, Jalalabad fell in the east on the border with Pakistan, as did the provincial capitals Maidan Shahr and Chost.

Only yesterday the Taliban had also brought the northern Afghan metropolis Mazar-i-Sharif under their control. The Islamists had been attacking the city intensively for about a week. The Bundeswehr had its headquarters in Mazar-i-Sharif until June.