Taloqan
Taloqan, also written as Taleqan or Taluqan, is a city in northern Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Takhar Province. It is within the jurisdiction of Taloqan District and has an estimated population of 284,990 people. Ethnically, they are Tajiks, Uzbeks, Pashtuns and Hazaras.
Taloqan is home to Takhar University, which is in the northwestern part of the city. The Taloqan Airport is a few miles to the north.
The city has a number of bazaars, business centers, public parks, banks, hotels, restaurants, mosques, hospitals, universities, and places to play sports or relax.
Taloqan sits at an altitude of above sea level, and has a land area of with 28,691 dwelling units in it. The city is administratively divided into 6 city districts. There is a major road that passes through the city, linking it with nearby Kunduz in the west and Fayzabad in Badakhshan Province in the northeast.
History
The old city to the west on the riverside was described by Marco Polo in 1275 CE as:Taloqan had earlier come under Mongol control during the campaigns of Genghis Khan in the early 13th century. Following the fall of Balkh and the destruction of other Khwarazmian cities, the Mongols besieged and captured Taloqan, reportedly massacring its inhabitants as part of their broader campaign to subdue Khwarazmian resistance.
In 1603, Taloqan was visited by another European explorer, Bento de Góis, who was traveling with a caravan from Kabul to Yarkand.
Recent history
The mujahideen headquarters of Ahmad Shah Massoud were located in Taloqan during his campaign against the Soviet Army and the Taliban. On 5 September 2000, Taloqan became the last major city to fall to the Taliban, after a siege which claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians. The capture of the city by the Taliban also triggered a mass exodus in the population, with civilians fleeing towards Imam Sahib and the Panjshir Valley. Northern Alliance soldiers managed to stop the Taliban advance to the north and to the east of the city, but were not able to retake it. Taloqan was liberated in November 2001 by forces of the Northern Alliance following the United States invasion of Afghanistan.The city was attacked during the 2021 Taliban offensive. On May 2, 2021, Piram Qul, a close aide to Abdul Rashid Dostum and one of the most influential anti-Taliban figures in Takhar, was killed in Rustaq District.
Following the fall of several districts of Takhar to the Taliban, on June 20, 2021, a group of Takhar elders including Mohibullah Noori and Ashraf Ani announced at a press conference in Kabul that they will send a group to mobilize people resistant in support of Afghan security forces in Takhar. Mohibullah Noori led the group, which entered Taloqan on 26 June 2021 and united the Takhar commanders to resist against the Taliban.
The Taliban tried to take the city in July 2021, however the attack was repulsed. Later, during Taliban offensive Haji Agha Gol Qatghani was killed and Khair Mohammad Teymour injured and all forces, including provincial officials, retreated to the Versaj district. Taloqan was captured by the Taliban on 8 August 2021.