Pajhwok Afghan News in a survey analysis found that at least 52 percent of Afghanistan’s territory is controlled by the Taliban and 59 percent of the population lives under the Afghan government.
Pajhwok Afghan News indicated that the government controls 46 percent of the territory, the survey is conducted between November 2020 and February 2021.
During the survey, 1,266 people were questioned through interviews, questionnaires, telephonic conversations, and in each part of the country, three people were given the papers to the questions.
According to the survey Taliban controls 337,000 square kilometers of Afghan land and about 297,000 square kilometers are under government control. And 18,000 square meter is reported to have no influence over by any of the parties.
The findings revealed that 27 districts are under Taliban control while 64 other districts are fully controlled by the government and the rest 297 districts are controlled by both of the parties.
A Taliban spokesman claimed that the group has control over 70 percent of the country’s territories which was later rejected by the National Security Advisor, Hamdullah Mohib at a weekly briefing on Saturday.
“The Taliban claims to have control over 70 percent of the territory, but even today, they convene their meetings in Quetta (in Pakistan) where they make plans on how to kill the people of Afghanistan and destroy the gains that we have achieved and destroy our infrastructures,” Tolonews quoted Mohib.
head of Pajhwok Afghan News Danish Karokhel told media, “In 422 districts of which, 24 are temporary, we interviewed three people in each district to find out their perspectives and find who controls or has an influence on how many swaths of land,”
This comes as National security Adviser, Hamdullah Mohib in a press briefing on Saturday said that the Taliban does not have the authority for negotiations and the group so far have shown no interest in the peace process and is seeking acquittance of complete power.
The afghan NSA iterated that the government is fully prepared to give sacrifice for real peace in the country, he said the scale of violence has doubled in the country, but the Taliban has refused the claims and said they have not announced their so-called summer offensives.
Mohib said Taliban leaders want absolute power, and that their supporters and want the destruction of Afghanistan, he added, that Pakistan apparently supports peace but behind the scene, they are supporting the violence by the extremist group in the country.Referring to Pakistan he said, they have invited their [Taliban] commanders to their homes in Quetta, to prepare for summer offensives.
Earlier, Second Vice President Sarwar Danish hinted that US Special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad once had warned that if the government does not release the remaining 400 notorious Taliban inmates, the security situation in the country will worsen.