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.
