Afghanistan: Dy Guv of Kapisa Aziz-ur-Rahman Tawab killed in clash with Taliban

In a breaking development in war-torn Afghanistan, on July 16, Deputy Governor of Kapisa province of Afghanistan, Aziz-ur-Rahman Tawab was killed in a clash with Taliban in Nijrab district in the province, as per reports.

The shift of territorial as well as political reigns amid the ongoing power crisis in Afghanistan is especially volatile given the US and NATO forces prepare to exit, thus, triggering a massive surge in Taliban-infused violence after insurgents launched multiple attacks to get hold of the provinces. The radical movement has ignited territorial and insurgent advances and is deemed to have captured large rural areas in northern Afghanistan.

Violence in Afghanistan 

Afghanistan is witnessing a massive surge in Taliban-infused violence while insurgents have launched multiple attacks to gain hold of provinces. Afghan national army commandos are deployed to counter Taliban resurgence in respective disturbing zones. The shift of power or the ongoing power crisis in Afghanistan is especially volatile saving the transcend of reigns as US forces prepare to exit. The deadline given to the President Biden administration is September 11 marking the anniversary of the World Trade Centre attacks by the Wahhabi Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda. 

Pursuant to this the UN along with multiple other international organisations has vocalised the dire need to prioritise negotiating peace and committing to measures that strengthen the country's zeal in attaining an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled national peace and reconciliation process. This holds significant relevance during the period when the United States and NATO troops have pledged to withdraw to pull out US and NATO troops ending Washington's 18-year long war with the Taliban.

Taliban's surging operative powers in Afghanistan

As soon as the US troops left Bagram Airfield after over 20 years, the Taliban announced its control in over 85 per cent of Afghanistan's territory, although the claim cannot be independently verified. The revelation was made by Shahabuddin Delawar, a key negotiator for the fundamentalist group, who, speaking to media reporters in Moscow, boasted that the controlled area now encompasses 250 out of 398 districts. With US and NATO troops out of the Central Asian country, the Taliban inched closer rapidly to re-establish the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan. 

Taliban, recently, also captured key border crossings with Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in an armed rebellion since the US troops left the Bagram Airfield - key base in Afghanistan -in the dead of night without notifying the Afghan forces. Taliban even destroyed and set ablaze at least 260 public service offices and looted equipment in 149 districts, informed Nader Naderi, Afghanistan's Head of Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Services Commission (IARCSC). The terror outfit re-imposed repressive laws and other retrograde policies on women that defined its iron fist rule from 1996 to 2001 including enforcing their version of Islamic Sharia law. Frud Bezhan and Mustafa Sarwar wrote in Gandhara that the re-imposing such repressive measures on Afghan women is a brutal reality of tens of thousands of females who live in the areas now captured by the Taliban. 

Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Afghanistan

In tragic news amid the ongoing Afghanistan war, on July 16, a celebrated Indian photojournalist and Pulitzer prize winner Danish Siddiqui was killed in Kandahar. According to reports, the Indian journalist was covering the ongoing clashes in Afghanistan over the last few days. Siddiqui was installed with the Afghan security forces who are combating the Taliban currently. As per sources, the incident occurred in Afghanistan's Spin Boldak district in Kandahar. 

Reports further added that the forces Siddiqui was traveling with were ambushed by the Taliban terrorists. However, the injured forces still continued their operation. Even so, the Taliban attacked the Afghan forces again on Friday morning in which Siddiqui was killed.