Governmental Troops Seize Shahrak And Saghar Over Past 24 Hours

Afghan governmental troops seized over the past 24 hours the towns of Shahrak and Saghar and took control over the road linking Afghan Northern provinces with the Western province of Herat bordering on Iran. According to the Joint Front Headquarters, this allowed "the governmental troops to block Taliban groups deployed in Northern Afghan provinces, such as Jawzjan, Balk and Kunduz." The Joint Front Command believes that the war in the Northern Afghan provinces may end sooner than it might seem to third-side observers. The hallmark of the Afghan war is that both governmental units and Taliban formations are based on the so-called militia, or emergency volunteer corps established on a regional basis. In this connection, the Joint Front Command is currently negotiating with commanders of local militia fighting on the Taliban side. The Command believes that Taliban units in the Balk and Kunduz provinces may take the government's side in the near future. Besides, Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah stated that the Joint Front would not storm Kabul until the broad coalition government was formed. Nevertheless, the bulk of the Joint Front force is currently deployed in the vicinity of Kabul.