MeterThe weekend is a battle between them Taliban The Afghan government has entered a new phase. In the past few months, the insurgents have expanded their control over rural areas and gradually moved closer to many provincial capitals. Then, in late July and early August, the fighting reached the centers of the country’s largest cities for the first time. A week later, the Taliban have now achieved another important temporary goal: in just three days, they basically conquered five provincial capitals. These include Kunduz, one of the most important economic and strategic centers in the north.
The most recent conquest began with the conquest of Sarangi in southwestern Afghanistan on Friday. The capital of Nimrus Province is located on the border with Iran, and apparently fell into the hands of Islamists more or less without fighting. A senior official of the Afghan security forces said that due to the intense Taliban propaganda, the Afghan security forces “lost the courage to fight”. Agence France-Presse News Agency lead. Even before the Taliban attacked, most of them put down their weapons and fled. The insurgents themselves posted videos on social networks that allegedly showed residents of Salangi cheering for them, while Taliban fighters drove captured military vehicles through the streets of the city. It is said that the government office was looted.
Criticism of government strategy
The Islamists encountered stronger resistance in the city of Sherbergham, and after several days of fighting, they took it under control on Saturday. Conquering the capital of the northern province of Jausdjan is iconic. Scheberghan is a fortress Abdul Rashid Dostum, One of Afghanistan’s most important warlords and the most bitter opponent of the Taliban. The former vice president only returned from Turkey in the middle of last week and received treatment there.
On Saturday, as the battle for Scheberghan started, Marshal Dostum, who won the country’s highest military rank in 2020, joined the president in Kabul. Ashraf Ghani Make recommendations on the situation. According to media reports, in view of the Taliban’s continued offensive, Dostum proposed to declare martial law in the country. He also called on the people to support the army. Ghani recently announced that the number of special forces will increase from 20,000 to 45,000.
In Kabul over the weekend, people criticized the government’s military strategy. According to Afghan media reports, so far, the plan to arm citizens has hardly changed the situation in favor of the army. The case of Scheberghan illustrates this point in particular. Only troops under the command of Dostum’s son will assist the army. On Saturday afternoon, it was reported that government troops and city government representatives had evacuated to the airport on the outskirts of the city.
Other cities are under pressure
The situation on Sunday was clearly similar to Kunduz. Fierce fighting in the northern city began on Saturday. The Taliban reported on the occupation of the city on Sunday. Provincial Assembly Member Amruddin Wali told Reuters that government forces still control the airport and their own base. There are reports that the army is working hard to retake the city. Kunduz has approximately 270,000 inhabitants and is a particularly important destination because it opens up access to the resource-rich provinces of northern Afghanistan and neighboring countries in Central Asia.
Around the same time as Kunduz, another city in the north fell into the hands of the Taliban: Saripur, the capital of the province of the same name. According to media reports, after fierce fighting late at night, government forces left their posts and retreated to a military base on the outskirts of the city with 180,000 people. It was said on Sunday afternoon that they and government representatives would be shot there with mortars by the Taliban. According to media reports, the capital of Thachar province in the northeastern part of the country also experienced a decline on Sunday.
Government forces in major cities such as Herat, Rashkar Gah, and Kandahar are still being harassed by the Taliban. According to media reports, US President Joe Biden ordered an air strike to prevent the insurgents from advancing further. The Washington Embassy in Kabul called on the Taliban over the weekend to agree to a ceasefire and resume peace talks. At the same time, the United States and Britain called on their citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately.
