KABUL - First vice president Amrullah Saleh has said that the Taliban will never be able to take control of the country by force and their current presence in districts is temporary.
Saleh tweeted today that a historic chance had been created for the unity of Afghans.
People from all corners of Afghanistan are mobilizing in support of Afghan forces and against the Taliban, he added.
“This shows thirst for rule of law as people reject factionalism. Talibs will not be able to take Afghanistan or rule. Never,” he added.
On the other hand, Tariq Arian, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, said that the Taliban’s claim of capturing areas did not mean control of the whole country.
Afghan security and defense forces had temporarily retreated from district centers which does not mean fall of districts, he added.
Arian said that the Taliban had no ability to protect a district or utilize seized equipment.
He said that the Taliban had no governance programs for areas they claimed  to have control on. On the contrary, people displaced from areas where the Taliban are present and it means that they have no place among the people, he added.
The interior ministry said that the Taliban had temporarily captured some areas and public uprisings were being set up against the militants.
Many districts have already been freed from the Taliban and people are now part of national defense program, the ministry added. (Pajhwok)