Taliban militants have seized Afghan border town Sher Khan situated at the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Ajmal Kakar, a reporter for Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency, told Asia-Plus Tuesday afternoon.
“Taliban militants seized Sher Khan Bandar several hours ago and some government forces surrendered to the Taliban while others took refuge in Tajikistan,” Mr. Kakar said today at around 4:30 pm.
According to him, there are some Afghan local officials among refugees who crossed the Tajik border.
Sher Khan Bandar reportedly fell into the hands of the Taliban without a fight.
Tajik authorities have not yet officially commented on the fall of Sher Khan Bandar and appearance of Afghan refugees in Tajik territory.
The U.S. military will soon complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan. But the Afghan government is under constant attack from the Taliban and this past weekend saw some of Taliban militants' largest gains yet.
PBS NewsHour, citing a senior Afghan official, says the Taliban have seized 40 districts all over the country. In total, the Taliban control more than 120 districts, and are fighting over an additional 180 districts.
Sher Khan Bandar is an Afghan border town and dry port situated at the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It is located in the Kunduz Province of Afghanistan, next to the Panj River, near the border with Tajikistan. The dry port links Kunduz and Kabul in Afghanistan with Dushanbe in Tajikistan. Its old name was Qezel Qal'eh. It was renamed after Sher Khan Nashir, Khan of the Kharoti Nasher clan.
The town has begun to grow rapidly after the completion, in 2007, of the Tajikistan–Afghanistan bridge across the Panj River. This bridge and the easy connectivity with the neighboring country boosted trade between Afghanistan and Central Asia enormously.
