[DAWN] The Taliban
...Arabic for students ...
captured a district in western Afghanistan as security continued to deteriorate in the war-ravaged state, the US media reported on Monday.
The fall of the district, Anardarah district in Farah province, came days after Afghan cops suffered heavy casualties in another district in the same province, the reports added.
Farah is a strategically important province, as it borders Iran and is linked to the country’s lucrative drug routes.
The New York Times
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warned that these setbacks could further deteriorate the security situation in Afghanistan, "as the US military finds itself drawn deeper into the war".
Dadullah Qani, a member of the Farah provincial council, told NYT that Taliban fighters stormed Anardarah district, which used to be a safe area, and overran a number of government compounds in the district centre early on Monday.
"The district governor’s compound and police headquarters are near the southern entrance of the district, and both are overrun by the Taliban," Mr Qani said. "There are casualties to the police, but we lost contact with them and we have no idea about their condition, including the police chief of the district."
Mohammad Naseer Mehri, a front man for the governor of Farah, told NYT that the attack began around 4am and the Taliban had managed to enter the governor’s compound and seize it.
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