Taliban Takes Control of Kandahar

The Taliban claims to have taken control of Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city. The United States is sending 3,000 troops to the country to protect its citizens. Britain and Canada are also deploying forces to protect their staff and facilitate their evacuation.

Following the capture of Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city, Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city and a strategically key area, has now fallen to the Taliban. Afghan government forces have lost control over most of the northern and western regions of the country.

A local resident of Kandahar told the French news agency that the Afghan army has retreated and a large number of soldiers have moved to a military base outside the city. Two members of parliament and the provincial council also told the German news agency that the most important government institutions in Kandahar in the southern part of the country are in the hands of the Taliban Islamists.

The United States had previously announced that in light of the Taliban’s advance, it would reduce embassy staff in the coming weeks to a minimum. The U.S. State Department and Defense Department said that in addition to these 3,000 soldiers, another 3,000 troops should be transferred to Kabul airport to help with an orderly withdrawal of personnel from the country.

Ned Price, spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said this is “not a complete evacuation” but provided no information about the number of people being withdrawn. Price criticized that “the Taliban had clearly stated they did not intend to attack diplomatic institutions. But one cannot rely on the words of a group like the Taliban.” For this reason, “precautionary measures” are now being taken.

According to the British Defense Ministry, the country is also sending 600 soldiers to Kabul to protect its embassy staff. According to information provided by the BBC, there are still 4,000 British citizens in Afghanistan.

Canada is also deploying special forces to Afghanistan to evacuate its citizens from the country and close its embassy in Kabul.

The Taliban has drawn closer to Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, and government forces have lost control over most of the northern and western regions of Afghanistan. The government controls only a few areas besides Kabul. In the spring of this year, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the last soldiers must be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of August.

Source: DW