Taliban claim control over key border crossing with Pakistan

Taliban said on Wednesday claimed it had captured a key border crossingalong the Pakistan frontier with US troops set to pull outcompletely in a few weeks.

The checkpoint Spin Boldak was reportedly seized by the Taliban, however, the Afghan government said its security forces had repelled the attack.

"The Mujahideen have captured an important border town called Wesh in Kandahar," Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

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"With this, the important road between (Spin) Boldak and Chaman and Kandahar customs have come under Mujahideen control," it added.

Taliban had earlier captured areas in Herat, Farah and Kunduz provinces as it continues to make major headway in the country as US and NATO forces leave the country.

President Ashraf Ghani travelled to the northern province of Balkh on Tuesday to assess security and meet civilians.

Taliban hadearlier taken control ofcheckpoints along Turkemenstein and Iran border areasincluding near Tajikistan as several Afghan soldiers poured into the country as the militant group made rapid inroads.

Taliban had earlier declared that it controls 85 per cent of territory in Afghanistan, however, it wasdismissed by the government. Meanwhile, Russia's senior Afghanistan official Zamir Kabulov who is President Putin's special representative on Afghanistan asked the Afghan government to open proper negotiations with the Taliban.

A report in the British media said the UK will work with the Taliban if they become part of the government. The report quoted British defence minister Ben Wallace saying that it will review the relationship if they(Taliban) "behave in a way that is seriously against human rights".

(With inputs from Agencies)