WORRYING

Taliban Captures Three Major Cities in Northern Afghanistan Hours Apart

Kunduz was the first major city to fall since the Taliban started its latest campaign. The capitals of Takhar and Sar-e-Pul provinces fell hours later.

In its first major victory, the Taliban seized control of the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan on Sunday. Hours later, the insurgent group captured the capitals of two other provinces, Takhar and Sar-e-Pul, almost completely taking over the northern part of the country. The Taliban kicked off their latest campaign in May when international troops led by the United States began withdrawing. Peace talks with the Afghan government haven’t done much. “At this stage, there is no peace process at all,” said Nader Nadery, the head of Afghanistan’s civil service commission, to The Wall Street Journal. “The Taliban have shown zero interest in a meaningful peace discussion.” Kunduz, near the border with Tajikistan, has a population of 374,000 and is considered an important commercial hub. It’s been a target of the Taliban for years who managed to capture it twice back in 2015 and 2016 before U.S. Special Forces and the Afghan military immediately removed them.