The Taliban have captured the provincial capital of Jawzjan, Sheberghan

The Taliban have captured the northern city of Sheberghan, the capital of Jawzjan province. Sheberghan is the second city to fall to the Taliban. Official sources have also confirmed the fall of Sheberghan. Fighting and violence have also been reported from Kandahar, Helmand, Badakhshan and Balkh provinces.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Twitter that members of the group had taken control of the Jawzjan governor's office, police headquarters and the National Directorate of Security (NDS) on Saturday afternoon.

He added that Afghan security forces and civilian insurgents had fled the city.

Videos released by the Taliban from the city of Sheberghan show that the Taliban have attacked a prison in the province and that the prisoners have not escaped.
Official sources confirmed the fall of Sheberghan and said that the governor, police chief and security forces had left the city.

Halima Sadaf, a member of parliament from Jawzjan, told the BBC that security forces and civilian insurgents had been deployed on the other side of the city and fighting was still going on.

The Afghan Interior Ministry also said that the Taliban had carried out heavy attacks in several parts of Sheberghan today and had entered some parts of the city.

Mirwais Stanekzai, a spokesman for the ministry, said security forces would be able to retake the city of Shiberghan with the help of local insurgents and fresh forces.

The northern Afghan city of Sheberghan has been under siege by the Taliban in recent days. The provincial capital of Jawzjan has become the second province to fall to the Taliban in the past two days.

There have also been reports of mortar attacks on the 2nd Shaheen Corps from neighboring Balkh province in Jawzjan.
Sayed Mustafa Sadat, the district governor of Dehdadi in Balkh province, said some mortar shells had hit civilian homes without any casualties.

Heavy fighting has also been reported in the northeastern provinces of Takhar and Badakhshan. Fighting is still raging in and around Taloqan.