DAccording to US President Joe Biden, the fight against the radical Islamic Taliban is now a matter for the Afghans. In light of the recent progress of Islamists following the large-scale withdrawal of international troops, Biden said at the White House on Tuesday that Afghans must now “fight for their country.” Their armed forces are superior to the Taliban militarily, and the same is true in terms of military strength. “But they must also want to fight,” Biden said.
The President of the United States also called on political leaders in Kabul to work together. He said that literally, “I think they are beginning to understand that they must be united politically.” Biden promised that the United States will continue to support the Afghan security forces financially and militarily. He was informed of the situation every day. In response to the U.S. troops he ordered to withdraw, the president added: “But I don’t regret my decision.”
Eight provincial capitals have fallen into the hands of the Taliban
At the time of the decision, the United States still had approximately 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan. According to the military, the withdrawal is now more than 95% complete. It should be completely over by the end of the month. Soldiers from the Bundeswehr and other NATO countries have left Afghanistan.
Since the withdrawal of international troops in early May, the Taliban have conquered many territories. On Tuesday, they occupied the eighth provincial capital one after another. According to initial unconfirmed reports, the city of Faisabad was said to have fallen into the hands of Islamists at night. Previously, Pul-i Chumri, a city with a population of 250,000 in the Baghlan province in the north of the country, had already paid a lot to Islamists, as the three provincial councils of the dpa news agency confirmed that night. The land route between the capital Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif is now cut off.
According to Provincial Assemblyman Firusuddin Aimak, government forces left the city on Tuesday night (local time) without further resistance. 10 or 15 days ago, several commanders and other officials had left Pul-i Chumri and announced that they would attack Islamists from another route. The remaining troops can last a few more days, but they have now retreated to an outside military base.
Pul-i Chumri is located on an important land road between Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif, where until recently the Bundeswehr had a base. The city is the second largest city in the northeastern part of the country after Kunduz. Since the beginning of May, international forces have been withdrawing from Afghanistan.
