Afghanistan, Taliban take Jalalabad: “We will decide on Kabul”

The Taliban have captured the key city of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. The capital Kabul remains the only major city still controlled by the country’s government. “A separate decision on Kabul will be made later,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told German news agency Dpa. “People should be sure that we don’t want a state of war in Kabul or, God forbid, no one harmed.” Read also Jalalabad, the capital of the province of Nangarhar, was conquered without a fight, as two provincial councilors explained to the German agency Dpa. The Taliban entered Jalalabad at 6 a.m. (1.30 Gmt), the sources explained to the German agency.The capture of the city of Jalalabad with an estimated population of over 280,000 and other areas of the province gives the Taliban control of the Torkham border crossing, the largest trade and transit route between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban now control at least 25 capitals of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. All these cities were acquired in 10 days.