Western Nimroz, first province falls to Taliban

Though the territorial gains by the Taliban have been relatively slow over the past two weeks, Nimroz in the west of Afghanistan becomes the first province fallen to the fighters.

The provincial capital of the province, Zaranj city fell to the Taliban without military confrontation with the ANDSF on Friday, August 6.

The group's spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid in a Twitter post said that they have toppled a provincial capital for the first in over two months.

Afghan government confirm the collapse of Nimroz but said that the city will soon be cleared of the Taliban as the plan to launch operations.

A video clip recorded in areas adjacent to Iran shows that Afghan National Defense and Military Forces along with their armored and non-armored vehicles cross the border into Iran but the spokesperson of the defense ministry denied the crossing.

Meanwhile, tens of families from Zaranj city-provincial capital of Nimroz- are also seen in video clips to be leaving their homes and crossing the border into Iran.

There were also reports of wide plunder in the city soon after the Taliban took the city but the group in a statement said that the culprits and plunderers are identified and will soon be arrested.

215 Miawand corps stationed in Helmand province said that the Afghan air force has killed 276 Taliban fighters including the so-called provincial governor of Nimroz province and 30 affiliates of Al-Qaida in both Nimroz and Helmand provinces.

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