Taliban Allegedly Captures Provincial Capital of Maidan Wardak, West of Kabul

The Taliban* surge previously prompted a mass evacuation of diplomats from Kabul, as the militants managed to capture all major Afghan cities, except for the capital. The movement has already claimed to have seized over half of the nation's provincial centres amid the US withdrawal from the country.

The Taliban claimed its forces have taken over Maidan Shar, the capital of the central Afghan province of Maidan Wardak located 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Kabul.

A spokesman for the movement, Zabihullah Mujahid, tweeted that the building of the governor's administration, the police headquarters, prison, and other public buildings were under the control of the Islamist movement.

Supporters of the Taliban carry the Taliban's signature white flags in the Afghan-Pakistan border town of Chaman, Pakistan, Wednesday, July 14, 2021

© AP Photo / Tariq Achakzai

Just a few hours later, the Taliban also claimed to have seized the provincial capital of Khost, located just 230 kilometres southeast of Kabul.

Earlier in the day, the militants claimed control over Jalalabad, the capital city of Nangarhar Province and one of the biggest cities in the country. Kabul now remains the only big city in Afghanistan controlled by the internationally recognised government.

The Taliban surge in Afghanistan comes as the American military is withdrawing from the country in accordance with agreements signed last year in Doha, Qatar. However, after the Taliban captured over half of the country's provincial capitals, Washington announced it would redeploy up to 5,000 troops, amid the growing threat to Kabul.

*The Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.