In less than a week, the Taliban had taken control of 65 percent of the country and nine capitals, while Biden insists that the US troop departure was not a mistake.
 |
| [Taliban] |
The Taliban have taken control of three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan, giving them control of nine of the country's 34. This attack is timed to coincide with the United States' departure from the country after a twenty-year stay.
The loss of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces in the northeast, as well as Farah province in the west, is yet another crushing setback for the central authority, which has been unable to halt the rebel tide thus far. While Kabul has not been directly targeted, the Taliban onslaught continues to overwhelm Afghan security forces, who are now fighting the militants with almost little foreign assistance.
According to a top European Union source, the rebels control at least 65 percent of Afghanistan, and the government continues to lose ground.
On Wednesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani traveled to the northeast province of Balkh, which is encircled by the Taliban, to seek the assistance of two local warlords who aim to gather forces in favor of pushing the Taliban back.
Ghani is now seeking assistance from erstwhile regional actors who he has been holding back for years in order to project the central government's control over traditionally rebellious areas.
Taliban militants in Farah carried a member of the Afghan security forces through the street, barefoot and bloodied, yelling "God is great!" As Taliban gunmen with M-16 weapons and driving American-donated Humvees and Ford vehicles drove through the streets of the same-named capital, gunfire reverberated across the street.
Insurgents had already taken control of six other provincial capitals in less than a week, including Kunduz, the country's largest city.
According to a senior EU official speaking to reporters on Tuesday, militants control around 230 of Afghanistan's more than 400 districts. Another 65 were remained under government control, according to the official, while the remainder were in question.
US President Joe Biden urged Afghan leaders to fight for their country and said he did not regret their choice to leave, despite the fact that the US had spent more than a trillion dollars and lost thousands of men in the last two decades. According to him, the US continues to supply Afghan soldiers with considerable air, food, equipment, and financial support.
For years, Afghanistan's north had been the most tranquil part of the nation, with no Taliban presence. The Taliban never had complete control of the north during their rule from 1996 to 2001, but they are eager to accomplish so this time before entering the capital.
Government officials have urged the United States to put pressure on Pakistan to prevent Taliban troops and supplies from crossing the border. Pakistan denies having any ties to the Taliban.
The government has retreated from difficult-to-defend rural districts in order to concentrate on maintaining urban areas. Government soldiers have surrendered without a struggle in certain areas.
Government forces are fighting Taliban insurgents in the south who are attempting to enter Kandahar province's main jail in order to liberate their fellow inmates, according to local officials.
The US will withdraw its soldiers from Afghanistan this month in exchange for Taliban pledges that Afghanistan would not be exploited for international terrorism. While the Taliban agreed not to attack foreign forces while retreating, they refused to agree to a ceasefire with the government.
On Tuesday, US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad warned the Taliban that any government that takes power in Afghanistan via force will not be recognized globally.
Thousands of people have fled their homes in the country's north to avoid conflicts that have spread across their cities and villages. Thousands of families have arrived in Kabul, where they are living in parks and on the streets with little food and water.