‘We control 85 per cent of Afghan territory’, says Taliban after seizing border posts

The Taliban claim to have taken control of 85 per cent of Afghanistan as they seized new territory before the US withdrawal by August 31.

Afghan security personnel stand guard along the road amid ongoing fight between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in Kandahar on the weekend. Picture: AFP

The Taliban claimed to have taken control of 85 per cent of Afghanistan as they seized new territory and more strategic border crossings before the US withdrawal by August 31.

The Islamic group now controls 250 of Afghanistan’s 398 districts, a Taliban representative told a press conference in Moscow hours after it emerged that the group had taken the Torghundi border crossing with Turkmenistan and the Islam Qala crossing to Iran, both in the northwest.

The Afghan government disputed the 85 per cent claim but it indicated the scale of its retreat, 20 years after the US invaded the country to eradicate the al-Qaeda terrorist group.Moscow urged all sides to show restraint.

“We have noted a sharp rise in tension on the Afghan-Tajik border,” Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, said.

“The Taliban movement quickly occupied a large part of border districts and currently controls about two thirds of the border.”

Three Taliban representatives gave a briefing in Moscow after talks with the Russian government. Russia is afraid that radical Islam could spread into the former Soviet states of Central Asia, reigniting local insurgencies.

The Taliban delegates tried to soothe US and Russian fears, vowing to fight the Islamic State group and promising not to harm Afghan interpreters who worked with the Americans.

They denied that they posed a threat to states such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

“Our territory will never be used against our neighbours or friendly countries,” Shahabuddin Delawar, one of the delegates, said.Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, warned this week that “niches” were being filled by Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan as peace talks faltered and hostilities intensified between government forces and the Taliban.Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban representative, insisted that Islamic State was “a phenomenon alien to Afghanistan”. He added: “They have no connections in this country and we are committed to preventing their activity.”

Kabul and other major cities remain in government hands but the Taliban has made advances in surrounding regions.

The group attacked Qala-i-Naw, a provincial capital, this week before being repulsed.

Yury Shvytkin, deputy chairman of the state duma’s defence committee, said Moscow should be sceptical that the Taliban could prevent infiltration by Islamic State fighters.

“Saying is one thing, thinking is another and doing is a third,” he said.

The Taliban are officially designated as a terrorist group in Russia and some critics questioned why the government would meet their delegates.Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said that President Putin was aware of the Moscow talks, which were “necessary” because of “the tense situation in Afghanistan”.