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| Taliban Overrun Remote District in Northeastern Afghanistan | Taliban Overrun Remote District in Northeastern Afghanistan |
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| KABUL, Afghanistan — Hundreds of Taliban fighters overwhelmed a remote district in northeastern Afghanistan on Saturday in an area where the government’s influence has waned considerably over the past two years, provincial officials said. | |
| The governor of Badakhshan Province, Waliullah Adeeb, said that Afghan security forces had retreated about half a mile from their position in the administrative center of Yamgan District, a sparsely populated and mountainous area. The Taliban had seized the district center last year, as well, before falling back. | The governor of Badakhshan Province, Waliullah Adeeb, said that Afghan security forces had retreated about half a mile from their position in the administrative center of Yamgan District, a sparsely populated and mountainous area. The Taliban had seized the district center last year, as well, before falling back. |
| The attack began at 4 a.m. on Saturday and involved as many as 300 Taliban fighters, said Col. Sakhi Haideri, the deputy police chief of the province. Colonel Haideri said the Taliban’s acting shadow governor in Badakhshan, Maulavi Amanuddin, was leading the attack. | The attack began at 4 a.m. on Saturday and involved as many as 300 Taliban fighters, said Col. Sakhi Haideri, the deputy police chief of the province. Colonel Haideri said the Taliban’s acting shadow governor in Badakhshan, Maulavi Amanuddin, was leading the attack. |
| By 11 a.m., the Taliban had seized the district center, said Zalmai Mojadedi, a lawmaker from Badakhshan. Eight Afghan police officers were killed in the fighting, Mr. Mojadedi said. | |
| Yamgan District lies in a band of southern Badakhshan that has increasingly come under the Taliban’s sway in the past two years. For the Taliban, Badakhshan probably holds some symbolic importance, as it was among the few areas in Afghanistan that the group never managed to conquer when they ruled the country, before they were ousted in late 2001. | Yamgan District lies in a band of southern Badakhshan that has increasingly come under the Taliban’s sway in the past two years. For the Taliban, Badakhshan probably holds some symbolic importance, as it was among the few areas in Afghanistan that the group never managed to conquer when they ruled the country, before they were ousted in late 2001. |
| The Taliban’s strength in southern Badakhshan has been bolstered over the past year or two by an influx of foreign fighters, including militants from Chechnya and Tajikistan, residents say. Their arrival has coincided with a turn toward more violent tactics by the insurgency. Earlier this year, the Taliban beheaded a number of soldiers after capturing crucial checkpoints north of Yamgan. | The Taliban’s strength in southern Badakhshan has been bolstered over the past year or two by an influx of foreign fighters, including militants from Chechnya and Tajikistan, residents say. Their arrival has coincided with a turn toward more violent tactics by the insurgency. Earlier this year, the Taliban beheaded a number of soldiers after capturing crucial checkpoints north of Yamgan. |
| In a statement on Saturday, the Taliban said they had “arrested” several Afghan soldiers and captured weapons and ammunition. | In a statement on Saturday, the Taliban said they had “arrested” several Afghan soldiers and captured weapons and ammunition. |
| When the Taliban have overrun districts in Badakhshan and elsewhere, their fighters have typically not attempted to hold captured district centers against counterattacks, instead pulling back quickly. | When the Taliban have overrun districts in Badakhshan and elsewhere, their fighters have typically not attempted to hold captured district centers against counterattacks, instead pulling back quickly. |
| The Afghan military has been slow to send a large number of reinforcements to Badakhshan in recent months because of fiercer fighting in Kunduz, to the west. In late April, the Taliban had advanced into the outskirts of the city of Kunduz, the provincial capital and one of northern Afghanistan’s largest cities. Over the past month, Afghan security forces, aided by local militias and warlords, have managed to push back the Taliban in Kunduz. | The Afghan military has been slow to send a large number of reinforcements to Badakhshan in recent months because of fiercer fighting in Kunduz, to the west. In late April, the Taliban had advanced into the outskirts of the city of Kunduz, the provincial capital and one of northern Afghanistan’s largest cities. Over the past month, Afghan security forces, aided by local militias and warlords, have managed to push back the Taliban in Kunduz. |