The Taliban occupied more major cities on Friday. They raced to take full control of Afghanistan and gradually moved closer to Kabul. The United States and Britain deployed thousands of soldiers to evacuate their citizens from the capital.
When the evacuation order was issued, the Taliban took control of Kandahar, the second largest city in the country, at the heart of the rebellion. The government only left Kabul and some other territories.
The Taliban also occupied the capital of Logar Province, only 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Kabul. A local lawmaker said that the rebels had complete control of the city of Pule Alam.
Earlier Friday, officials and residents in Kandahar told AFP that government forces had collectively retreated to a military installation outside the southern city.
“Kandahar was completely conquered. The jihadists arrived at Martyrs Square,” a Taliban spokesperson said on Twitter, referring to a city landmark.
A few hours later, the Taliban stated that they also controlled the capital of the neighboring Helmand Province, Rashkar Gah.
A security source confirmed the fall of the city and told AFP that the Afghan military and government officials evacuated Lashkar Gah after reaching a local ceasefire agreement with militants.
After the Taliban carried out an eight-day blitzkrieg against the city center, the government has now effectively lost most of the country, which shocked American supporters in Kabul.
After the United States and its allies almost withdrew from Afghanistan, the first wave of offensive was launched in early May, and President Joe Biden decided to end the two-decade war before September 11.
‘Not to give up’
Biden insists that he does not regret his decision, but the speed and ease of the Taliban’s victory in the city in recent days has been surprising and has forced people to make new calculations.
Washington and London announced plans to withdraw embassy staff and citizens from the capital on Thursday evening.
“In view of the changing security situation, we are further reducing our civilian footprint in Kabul,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters, while noting that the embassy will remain open.
“This is not giving up. This is not an evacuation. This is not a large-scale withdrawal.”
The Pentagon stated that it will deploy 3,000 US troops to Kabul in the next 24 to 48 hours, stressing that they will not be used to launch attacks on the Taliban.
Diplomatic and official sources told AFP that NATO is also scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on the deteriorating situation later on Friday.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will lead discussions with special envoys from 30 allies. One source said it will focus on evacuation plans.
Taliban flags in Kandahar
Since the final phase of the withdrawal of the US-led troops in May, the conflict has escalated sharply.
After several months of occupying rural areas considered strategically less important, the Taliban focused their attention on the cities.
In the past week, the insurgents occupied more than a dozen provincial capitals and surrounded the largest city in the north, the traditional anti-Taliban fortress Mazar-e-Sharif, and is now one of the few diehards.
In Kandahar, resident Abdul Nafi told AFP that the city was calm after government forces withdrew early on Friday.
“I came out this morning and I saw the Taliban white flag in most squares of the city… I think this may be the first day of Eid al-Fitr.”
Herat strongman captured
In Herat on Friday, the Taliban said they had captured the city’s long-time strongman Ismail Khan, who, along with his militia fighters, helped lead the defense of the provincial capital.
The warlord’s spokesperson later confirmed that Khan had been allowed to return to his residence after negotiating with the rebels.
Pro-Taliban social media accounts boasted that the insurgents had captured a large amount of loot, posted photos of armored vehicles, heavy weapons, and even their fighters seized a drone at an abandoned military base.
After being under siege for several weeks, government forces evacuated the ancient Silk Road city of Herat near the Iranian border on Thursday and retreated to a regional military camp.
On Thursday, the Ministry of the Interior also confirmed the fall of Ghazni, opening a corridor on the main highway from the southern center of the Taliban to Kabul.
Following the collapse of the rout, a three-day meeting between major Afghan international players ended in Qatar, and no major progress was made on Thursday.
In a joint statement, the international community, including the United States, Pakistan, the European Union and China, stated that they would not recognize “any government imposed on Afghanistan through the use of force.”
