The Taliban seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan and a local army headquarters in a blitz across the country's northeast, officials said Wednesday, with the insurgents now controlling some two-thirds of the nation as the US and NATO finalise their withdrawal after its decades-long war there. The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces to the northeast and Farah province to the west put increasing pressure on the country's central government to stem the tide of the advance, even as its lost a major base in Kunduz. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rushed to Balkh province, already surrounded by Taliban-held territory, to seek help pushing back the insurgents from warlords linked to allegations of atrocities and corruption. Humayoon Shahidzada, a lawmaker from the western province of Farah, confirmed Wednesday to The Associated Press his province's capital of the same name fell.
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, when asked about the deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan, said, "Look, we spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped over 3,00,000 Afghan forces. Afghan leaders have to come together. We lost thousands, lost to death and injury, thousands of American personnel. They have got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation."
The United States State Department said it is evaluating the security situation around its embassy in Kabul on an everyday basis. State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Tuesday told Reuters, "Obviously it is a challenging security environment. ... We are evaluating the threat environment on a daily basis." "The embassy is in regular contact with Washington, with the most senior people in this building, who in turn are in regular contact with our colleagues at the NSC, at the White House. But for right now, we've been able to continue those core activities that are important for us to conduct on the ground," he added.
On April 27, the US government ordered employees out of its embassy in Kabul and said that their work should be done elsewhere, given the increasing violence in the city.
On August 7, the US embassy in Kabul urged Americans to leave the country and asked them not to rely on US government flights in the process.
Neighbouring Nimroz province was overrun on Friday after a week-long campaign by the Taliban. "The situation is under control in the city, our mujahedeen are patrolling in the city," one Taliban fighter who did not give his name said, referring to his fellow insurgents as holy warriors. On Wednesday, the headquarters of the Afghan National Army's 217th Corps at Kunduz airport fell to the Taliban, according to Ghulam Rabani Rabani, a provincial council member in Kunduz, and lawmaker Shah Khan Sherzad. The insurgents posted a video online they said showed surrendering troops.
It wasn't immediately clear what equipment was left behind for the insurgents. Some civilians who have fled Taliban advances have said that the insurgents imposed repressive restrictions on women and burned down schools. There have also been reports of revenge killings in areas where the Taliban have gained control. Speaking to journalists Tuesday, a senior EU official said the insurgents held some 230 districts of the over 400 in Afghanistan.
– With PTI inputs
