Afghanistan: Taliban Capture Dozens of Armored Cars In North

An Afghan lawmaker said the Taliban fighters have seized more than half of the 70 military armored vehicles that have been at the disposal of security forces in the northern province of Faryab.

The Afghan security forces in the province of Faryab had 70 armored vehicles, but the Taliban have taken 36 of them, Abdul Satar Darzabi, a member of the Afghan Parliament representing the province of Jowzjan announced.

Many of the armored vehicles have been taken by the Taliban as spoils of war after the fall of small towns and security posts, or have been purchased from the Afghan military commanders, he added.

In separate comments, Gol Mohammad Pahlawan, an MP from Faryab, said 11 of the total of 14 towns in his province have been surrounded by the Taliban, noting that the morale of assailants is higher than the security forces.

Decrying the growing corruption among the security organizations under the national unity government, Pahlawan said some of the security forces have had to sell the weapons at their disposal to make ends meet.

The lawmaker also took a swipe at the American and NATO forces for their double standards towards the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, saying the Afghan Mujahideen should be armed if the Afghan security forces are unable to ensure security.

The situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated noticeably in recent months. The radical Taliban movement, which had previously seized considerable territory in rural areas of the country, has launched an offensive against large cities. Additionally, the influence of Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS) terrorist group has increased in the country.

Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, with government security forces fighting the Taliban. The instability has persisted in the country since the US launched a military operation in 2001 to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks.