Centres fall to Taliban

KABUL: A district centre in the northern Afghan province of Faryab fell to the Taliban yesterday, officials confirmed, days after the militants seized another district centre in the same province.

The defeat has raised fears that another eight of the sparsely populated province’s 14 district centres, two of which were already controlled by the Taliban, are vulnerable to militant takeover.

Between 40 and 60 members of the Afghan security forces and district government staff in Balcharagh have surrendered. – dpa/African News Agency (ANA)