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The Taliban launched a multi-pronged attack on the main city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan on Saturday as it continues to attack to occupy more cities and provinces across the country.
Less than three weeks before the U.S. prepared to withdraw the last batch of troops, these fighters occupied most of the northern, western, and southern parts of Afghanistan in a sudden military operation, which triggered people’s concerns about a full-scale takeover or another Afghan mission. Worries of civil war.
As the Taliban controlled two-thirds of the war-torn country, thousands of people fled through the Capital International Airport. As the Taliban moved closer to the capital Kabul, the United States and European countries also began to evacuate their embassy staff.
At the same time, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Afghanistan “Spinning out of control”, And urged the organization to stop the offensive immediately.
The following are the latest updates:
Local provincial assembly members say that the Taliban have occupied Pul-e-Alam
Local provincial assembly members said that the Taliban occupied the city of Pule Alam, about 70 kilometers (40 miles) from the capital Kabul.
He told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the Taliban fighters did not encounter much resistance.
The capture of this city is a key transit point for a potential attack on Kabul.
Kabul is seen as a relative “sanctuary”
Al Jazeera reporter Rob McBride reported in Kabul that people fleeing the fighting appeared to be “attracted to Kabul”, treating it as “a refuge and relatively safe place”.
He said that with the influx of people into the city, the humanitarian situation is an “unfolding disaster”.
“In the last few weeks or so, we have seen people mainly from the north where we have fought. Now our fighting has increased… [in the south], We expect this will be reflected in the influx of people into the southern part of the city,” McBride said.
He added that the government is struggling to cope with the influx and moving people to other temporary camps, while international aid organizations have vowed to provide more help.
Taliban seize provinces near the capital
The Taliban occupied a province south of the Afghan capital.
Hoda Ahmadi, a member of the province, said that armed groups occupied the entire territory of Logar and detained officials in the province. She said that the Taliban had reached the Char Asyab district, 11 kilometers (7 miles) south of the capital Kabul.
The Taliban have made significant progress in recent days, including the occupation of Herat and Kandahar, the country’s second and third largest cities. It now controls 18 of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan.
As the United States intensifies its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban approach Kabul
The Afghan Taliban strengthened their territorial control over Kabul as refugees from the organization’s relentless offensive flooded into the capital, and about 3,000 US Marines returned to oversee the emergency evacuation from Afghanistan.
With the country’s second and third largest cities falling into the hands of the Taliban, Kabul has effectively become the last stop under siege, with government forces in other places with little or no resistance.
The United States and other countries are scrambling to airlift their nationals out of Kabul in case of a full-scale attack.
Taliban launches multi-pronged attack on Mazar-e-Sharif
An Afghan official said that the Taliban launched a multi-pronged attack on Mazar-i-Sharif, a major city in northern Afghanistan guarded by powerful former warlords.
Munir Ahmed Fahad, spokesman for the northern governor of Balkh province, said the Taliban attacked the city from several directions.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flew to Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday to assemble the city’s defenses and met with several militia commanders, including Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohamed Nu Well, they command thousands of fighters.
Seizure of weapons is a “great boon” for the Taliban
The United States spends billions of dollars to provide the Afghan army with the tools to defeat the Taliban, but the rapid surrender of the armed forces means that weapons are now driving the armed groups to succeed on the battlefield.
Taliban social media is flooded with videos of Taliban fighters seizing weapon hideouts-most of which were provided by Western powers.
The footage of Afghan soldiers surrendering in the northern city of Kunduz showed heavy weapons loaded on military vehicles and artillery mounted in the hands of ordinary soldiers of the organization.
In the western city of Farah, fighters patrolled in a car marked with an eagle leaping on a snake — the official symbol of the country’s intelligence services.
Afghan militias gathered at the home of former jihadist leader Ismail Khan in Herat to support the Afghan security forces against the Taliban [File: Hoshang Hashimi/AFP]Troops flood into Kabul to test Biden’s withdrawal deadline
The decision at the last minute to send 3,000 US troops to Afghanistan to help with the partial evacuation of the US embassy raises questions about whether President Joe Biden will completely withdraw combat troops before the August 31 deadline.
Officials emphasized that the tasks of the newly arrived troops are limited to assisting the airlift of embassy personnel and Afghan allies, and they are expected to complete it before the end of the month.
Republican politicians have criticized the withdrawal of troops as a mistake and poor planning, although neither party has much political interest in sending more troops to fight the Taliban.
The Taliban take over the radio station after occupying Kandahar
The Taliban occupied a radio station in Kandahar and started using radio waves. The organization released a video in which an unnamed fighter announced the takeover of the city’s main radio station, which has been renamed the Voice of Sharia, or Sharia.
He said that all employees are present and will broadcast news, political analysis and recitations of the Holy Quran, the Islamic holy book.
The Taliban have been operating mobile radio stations for many years, but since they ruled the country from 1996 to 2001, they have not opened stations in major cities. At that time, it also ran a radio station called “Voice of Islam” outside of Kandahar, the birthplace of armed groups.
UN Secretary-General: Afghanistan “out of control”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, stated in his first direct appeal to armed groups that he was “deeply disturbed by the early signs of strict restrictions imposed by the Taliban in areas under its control, especially against Women and journalists”.
“Afghanistan is getting out of control,” he said. “It is especially frightening and heartbreaking to see reports of girls and women in Afghanistan being denied their hard-earned rights.
“Now is the time to stop the offense,” Guterres said. “Now is the time to start serious negotiations. Now is the time to avoid prolonged civil war or Afghanistan’s isolation.”
Taliban militants patrol the city of Farah, the capital of Farah Province in southwestern Afghanistan [Mohammad Asif Khan/AP Photo]Kabul Airport is busy, thousands of people fled
Thousands of Afghans and other travelers fled the country on flights departing from Kabul International Airport.
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters that “United Nations staff have not been evacuated,” but the United Nations has reduced its staff, including in Kandahar, the second largest city in Afghanistan, and Herat, the third largest city in Afghanistan. He said that the United Nations has a “very small footprint” in these two cities.
The United Nations has about 300 international staff and nearly 3,400 national staff working in Afghanistan. Dujarric said that some staff are being relocated from different places to Kabul.
Pakistani officials urge the Afghan government not to talk to the Taliban
Pakistan’s national security adviser urged Afghan leaders to reach a settlement with the Taliban through political negotiations as soon as possible to avoid further violent conflict.
Advisor Moeed Yusuf emphasized that the decline of one city after another in neighboring Afghanistan highlights the need to speed up the peace process.
“Trust me, if they sit down, they will be able to reach some kind of reconciliation, and we will respect any decision made by the Afghans,” Yusuf said.
He added: “If we don’t go all out, history will make a very bad evaluation of us. [this] A political solution to the crisis in Afghanistan”.
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