Taliban seize Afghan police base, push closer to strategic pass

The Taliban captured food, weapons and ammunition from the Tirgaran base in Badakhshan, which borders Pakistan

KABUL: Taliban militants have captured a large police base in northeast Afghanistan, forcing the mass surrender of more than a hundred policemen and pushing closer to a strategic pass at the border with Pakistan, local officials and security sources said on Sunday.

The Taliban captured food, weapons and ammunition from the Tirgaran base in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, which borders China, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

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"The enemy got weapons and ammunition from police forces at the Tirgaran base that will allow them to fight for a long time," provincial governor Shah Waliullah Adib told Reuters, adding that the captured forces had later been released.

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"We will launch an operation soon and take back control of the base."