Seven days that shook Afghanistan: how city after city fell to the Taliban
The end for Afghan forces in the south-western provincial capital of Zaranj, a trading hub close to the Iranian border, was announced by a Taliban commander. Except that he framed it as a start, and an ominous one.
“This is the beginning,” he declared in a statement. “See how other provinces fall in our hands very soon.”
The capital of Nimroz province, Zaranj was captured on 6 August, the first major city to fall to a Taliban assault in years.
Within the space of seven days of a lightning Taliban offensive, the Zaranj commander’s prediction would be proved correct as city after city fell in a comprehensive rout of government forces.
Zaranj’s fate would set the pattern for the days that have followed. After weeks taking districts in the countryside and cutting off Zaranj, its capture came suddenly, with insurgents overrunning defences
