BBC News
The Taliban are said to have launched their attacks in Afghanistan from the north. Among the major cities outside Kabul is Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province.
We thought we would go there and see the effects of the fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan government and the current situation.
Balkh province was in the possession of the German army in NATO. In the afternoon we flew from Kabul to Mazar-e-Sharif.
I came to Mazar-e-Sharif six months ago, but today the plane was completely empty. There were 140 seats, but not 40 passengers. Truth be told, I was afraid that there might be something wrong with the flight. You must be aware of the system that was destroyed at the airport.
Well, the journey of forty minutes was peaceful. Mazar-e-Sharif airport was completely silent. Here, too, you will see the work of German experts.
We picked up our luggage, came out and headed for the hotel. Since the Taliban are in charge here now, we also had to get permission from the Ministry of Information and Culture to work in the city. We were allowed to work there, but we were also told not to spread propaganda against us.
The entire city is surrounded by the shrine of Hazrat Ali in the center of Mazar-e-Sharif
Shortly before sunset, we reached the shrine of Hazrat Ali. I don't know how many times I have been here but whenever I come to Mazar-e-Sharif, I always take steps in this direction.
I came here about six months ago but today it was neither flourishing nor devout from different countries.
As I tried to get inside the shrine as usual, the caretaker, who belonged to the Ansari tribe and was called a Sufi, told me to come after sunset.
The beauty of the shrine fascinates you. I was once again memorizing this scene in my memory to know when to come again.
Standing on the white marble floor, my eyes went through the domes of the shrine and I saw that the knowledge on the shrine had now disappeared and now the flag of the Taliban, ie the Islamic Emirate, was flying there.
Devotees come out of the shrine to pray and attend
The Taliban have set aside time between 8am and 12am for female devotees and later for men until late at night. In the previous government, women were given only one day a week and the crowds were very large.
But now the question is how women will go out without men in these circumstances and how to get here to attend.
You will still find the best food in this city, as always, at the table, which is very popular.
The next day we went out for a walk in the city and did some filming. As we were setting up the camera for an interview with a student, a woman passing by pointed at us and said, "I wish I could tell you the truth."
Going a little further, there was a noise of people near the square. When asked, it was reported that the Taliban had killed ISIS members who had tried to abduct the children.
The bodies of four people were lying at the intersection and the Taliban said it was a warning to the people not to do such things.
Delivery of commercial goods across the border continues under Taliban control
Mazar reached Herat Port an hour and a half away from the city. From here, Afghanistan shares borders with China, Russia and Europe.
The Amu Darya River is here and the bridge built here dates back to the Soviet era. It is said that the Russian army withdrew in broad daylight.
The bridge is half in Afghanistan and half in Uzbekistan. The railway line also passes through here. The bridge was crowded when the Taliban took over.
The Taliban have claimed a rebate on customs taxes. It is the source of most flour, wheat and timber in Afghanistan. Here you will find Turkmen goods in the market.
Amu Darya
Alcohol was imported from Russia. No longer do they look like drinks without different labels.
We also ate fresh fish by the river.
A student was found who said that he had studied at a madrassa in Sohrab Goth and during his studies he used to come here to do jihad. Talib said he had killed 200 people in jihad for ten years.
You will find a lot of Uzbeks in this area and General Dostum is the real king according to them.
We were served food by a teenage boy.
Huts on the banks of the Amu Darya where tourists come
While this was astonishing to me, I saw that many young boys had traveled on this river from Herat and Khost to have fun.
I was wondering why he traveled so far in these conditions of the country but he was of the view that we could not come here so easily before because it was difficult to travel due to check posts and searches from place to place. Once we have come easily.
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