Taliban seize Islam Qala customs post on Iranian border

Media reports have reported that the Taliban have seized the Islam Qala border crossing on the Afghan-Iranian border. Trade between the two countries is said to have been halted. According to the Associated Press, Afghan soldiers have abandoned their posts and fled to Iran.

On Thursday, July 8, Taliban forces captured the Islam Qala customs post on the Herat border with Iran.

The IRNA news agency, publishing this news, quoted an Afghan journalist based in Herat as saying: "After the Afghan forces and customs employees fled, people entered the Herat customs."

Local authorities in Herat province have not yet commented on the matter.

According to the IRNA news agency, the Afghan Taliban group attacked Herat today and captured two cities in the province, but local officials said they had "tactically" withdrawn from these cities.

ISNA news agency also reported that trade between Iran and Afghanistan has been suspended since the evening of July 8 due to today's developments in Islam Qala, near the border opposite "Dogharoon" in Khorasan Razavi, and the port of Abu Nasr Farahi in Farah Province, opposite the "Mahirud" border in South Khorasan.

Rouhollah Latifi, a spokesman for Iran's customs, said: "Traders and merchants are requested to refrain from sending commercial shipments to the Dogharoon and Mahirud borders until further notice."

“Afghan soldiers have fled to Iran”

The Associated Press also confirmed in a similar report that the Taliban had captured a key area on the border with Iran.

The news agency quoted an Afghan official who declined to be named as saying that Afghan soldiers had abandoned their posts at the Islam Qala border and fled to Iran.

The Taliban advance comes as American forces complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

This is the third border crossing to be captured by the Taliban in the past week. Two others were captured on the borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The Taliban's advances have caused some countries to close their consulates in Afghanistan. For example, Russia closed its consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif a few days ago due to the tense situation in northern Afghanistan.

Taliban delegation arrives in Moscow

On Thursday, it was simultaneously announced that a Taliban delegation had arrived in Moscow for negotiations.

Taliban political representatives have traveled to Moscow many times over the past two years to negotiate with representatives of the Afghan government and the country's parties.

Russia hopes that by involving the Taliban in Afghan peace talks, it can create conditions for a political settlement of disputes after the complete withdrawal of American forces.

The Taliban has been making advances since US and NATO forces began withdrawing from Afghanistan a few months ago. The group now claims to control more than 80 of Afghanistan's 421 districts.

Source: DW