Nerkh, a district some 30 km  from Afghan capital Kabul, fell to the Taliban this week, TOLOnews reported. However, Afghan security forces claimed they made a tactical retreat from there.  The district, considered as a gateway to Kabul, comes under Maidan Wardak province, and its fall indicates an increasingly deteriorating security situation in the country. 

Abdul Rahman Tariq, the governor of Maidan Wardak province, said, “Regrettably, the Taliban took over the district last night because of a conspiracy, the security forces then made a tactical retreat, the district building has sustained damages.” 

Amid, stalled peace process, the group has intensified its military operations, with Afghan provinces facing over 100 attacks daily. Furthermore, the Taliban is already sitting around over a dozen provincial capitals in the country. 

Abdul Rahman Wardak, an MP from Nerkh, speaking to TOLOnews, said the security situation wasn’t stable in the city. Neighboring districts, too, are now threatened, he added. 

Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense, though, claimed that they were sending reinforcement to the city to recapture the district. However, the Taliban, he claimed, has mined the entire route and are using civilian homes, which has slowed its operations. (SAM)