Taliban tighten control of Afghan north as UN fears erasure of human rights

KABUL: Taliban fighters tightened their grip on captured territory in Afghanistan on Tuesday (Aug 10) as civilians hid in their homes and a pro-government commander vowed to fight to the death to defend Mazar-i-Sharif, the biggest city in the north.

President Ashraf Ghani called on regional strongmen to support his government after a stunning string of Taliban gains as US-led foreign forces pull out, while a United Nations official said the gains made in human rights over the past 20 years were in danger of being erased.

In the capital, Kabul, Ghani's aides said he was seeking help from regional militias he has squabbled with over the years to rally to the defence of his government. He also appealed to civilians to defend the country's "democratic fabric", aides said.

In the town of Aibak, capital of Samangan province on the main road between Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul, Taliban fighters were consolidating their control, moving into government buildings, residents said.

Most government security forces appeared to have withdrawn, residents said.

"The only way is self-imposed house arrest or to find a way to leave for Kabul," said Sher Mohamed Abbas, a provincial tax officer, when asked about living conditions in Aibak.

"But then even Kabul is not a safe option anymore," said Abbas, a father of four and a sole breadwinner for a family of nine.

Abbas said Taliban had arrived at his office and told workers to go home. He and other residents said they had not seen nor heard fighting on Tuesday.

For years, the north was the most peaceful part of the country with only minimal Taliban presence.

The militants' strategy appears to be to take the north, as well as main border crossings in the north, west and south, and then close in on Kabul.

The Taliban, battling to defeat the US-backed government and reimpose strict Islamic law, swept into Aibak on Monday meeting little resistance.

The government has withdrawn forces from hard-to-defend rural districts to focus on holding major population centres while officials have appealed for pressure on neighbouring Pakistan to stop Taliban reinforcements and supplies flowing over the porous border. Pakistan denies backing the Taliban.

The United States has been launching air strikes in support of government troops but said it was up to Afghan forces to defend their country.

"It's their struggle," John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters on Monday.

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