US doubts Taliban's relentless advance in Afghanistan
The Taliban are advancing rapidly and capturing provinces. US intelligence agencies have said that if the Taliban advances at this rate, Kabul is likely to fall within the next 90 days. The US doubts that the Taliban can continue to advance.
The Washington Post, citing US intelligence agencies, reported that the Taliban could take Kabul within 30 to 90 days. This assessment is conditional on the Taliban advancing at the current pace. This is while US officials had assessed in June that Kabul could fall under Taliban control within six to 12 months after the withdrawal of US forces. The Washington Post, citing a US intelligence source, wrote: “Everything is going in the wrong direction.”
But US government spokesman Ned Price said he was not sure the Taliban could continue their advance without interruption. He criticized attacks on provincial capitals and civilians as going against the spirit of the agreement reached between the Taliban and the United States last year.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told CNN Turk on Wednesday, August 11: "The latest developments and the situation of the Afghan people are very worrying. Maybe I will even be able to meet with the Taliban leadership in person."
The Taliban on Wednesday seized the airport and a large military base in the city of Kunduz, which has a population of 380,000. This is the same base where 100 German soldiers were stationed last year. In the past few days, all the important administrative and government buildings in the city have fallen to the Taliban.
The German news agency (dpa) reported, citing provincial councils and Afghan security agencies, that the Taliban had not found any helicopters or aircraft capable of flying at Kunduz airport. However, they may have seized thousands of heavy weapons and ammunition. Afghan security forces, government officials, police forces and the country's army left their bases in Kunduz or surrendered on Wednesday morning.
The Taliban captured Faizabad, the capital of northeastern Badakhshan province, on Sunday, according to news media. Earlier, the important city of Pul-e-Khumri, with a population of 250,000, in northern Baghlan province, had fallen. The city is only about 200 kilometers from Kabul. Land routes there to the north of Mazari Sharif have been cut off.
Government troops reportedly surrendered without resistance. Commanders and other officials had left two weeks ago. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani traveled to Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday to assess the situation.
According to Russian sources, the Taliban have also taken control of Afghanistan's borders with the republics of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Kommersant newspaper on Wednesday quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying that the Taliban cannot go further.
The Russian Defense Ministry has announced that troops stationed in Tajikistan have received new weapons. Air defense systems, flamethrowers and machine guns are said to have been delivered to bases near the Afghan border. Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan conducted a multi-day exercise that ended on Tuesday.
Despite the extremely critical and threatening situation in Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden has defended his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan and said he has no regrets about the move. He said the United States will continue to provide financial and military support to Afghan security forces.
According to the United Nations, at least 1,000 civilians have been killed in the past month alone as the Taliban advance in various provinces of Afghanistan. Thousands have fled their cities and sought refuge in Kabul. Many are trying to leave the country.
Source: DW
