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Taliban Now Controls Nine Provincial Capitals As U.S. Forces Continue To Withdraw From Afghanistan

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Updated Aug 11, 2021, 04:11am EDT

Topline

The Taliban managed to seize three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan, local officials said on Wednesday, a move that now puts nine of the nation’s 34 such towns under the control of the Islamist insurgent group as it tries to make a push towards the national capital of Kabul while U.S. troops continue their planned withdrawal from the country.

Key Facts

The Taliban captured the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces in the northeast and Farah province in the west, forcing pro-government forces to retreat into the Kelagi desert, home to a large Afghan army base.

The fall of Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan in the remote Northern Province, is seen as a major blow as it was once considered an anti-Taliban stronghold.

The Taliban’s relentless offensive and massive gains in the past few months have put severe pressure on Afghan security forces who are now fighting the insurgent group on their own with very little assistance from U.S. troops.

The Afghan army’s regular forces have largely been routed in the battlefield—sometimes fleeing the battle by the hundreds—forcing small groups of special forces and the Afghan air force to lead the fight against the insurgents.

Crucial Quote

U.S. President Joe Biden who has previously defended his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan urged the country’s leaders to fight for their homeland on Tuesday evening. “Afghan leaders have to come together,” Biden told reporters at the White House, saying the Afghan troops outnumber the Taliban and must want to fight. “They've got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation.”

Key Background

As U.S. troops exit Afghanistan, the Taliban has launched a massive offensive across the country taking over large swathes of territory. Last month, Taliban representatives in Moscow told the Kremlin that the group now controls 85% of Afghanistan’s territory. This has forced the Afghan government and its security forces to consolidate their power largely in the capital, Kabul, and other major urban areas. The insurgent group’s rapid gains have raised questions about the capability of the Afghan security forces, which have been shored up by the U.S. and other western powers who have spent billions on training and equipping them. The Taliban’s battlefield success has raised the stakes for the administration in Kabul which is hoping for the resumption of the long-stalled peace talks in Qatar that could end the fighting. So far the Taliban has refused to return to the negotiating table.

Tangent

Observers have expressed concerns about the human rights situation in Taliban-controlled territories, pointing out the brutal tactics used by the insurgent group against civilian populations. Earlier this week, UNICEF issued a statement that at least 27 children were killed and 136 injured during a 72 hour period of fighting in Kandahar, Khost and Paktia provinces. The statement added “these atrocities are also evidence of the brutal nature and scale of violence in Afghanistan which preys on already vulnerable children.”

Further Reading

Afghan officials: 3 more provincial capitals fall to Taliban (Associated Press)

Biden says Afghan leaders must 'fight for their nation' as Taliban gains (Reuters)

UN warns of possible war crimes as Taliban advances (AFP)

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