Afghanistan: after taking control of eight capitals, the Taliban could isolate Kabul in a month and seize power in 90 days

Taliban fighters could isolate Afghan capital in 30 days and possibly seize power in 90 daysa US defense official said, citing US intelligence, as resurgent militants made further strides across the country.

The official, who spoke to the agency Reuters on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, he said the new estimate of how long he could hold I accept was the result of Rapid advances by the Taliban when US-led foreign forces have left.

“But it’s not a foregone conclusionThe official added, saying the Afghan security forces could turn the tide with more resistance.

Islamists now control 65% of Afghanistan and have taken or are threatening to take 11 provincial capitalsa senior EU official said on Tuesday. Faizabad, in the province of Badakhshan (northeast), on Wednesday became the eighth provincial capital to be taken over by the Taliban.

The fighting was extremely intense in the town of Kandaharsaid a doctor from the south of this province. In the city, they received dozens of bodies from Afghan forces and a few wounded Taliban.

All the gates of Kabul, which lies in a valley surrounded by mountains, were crowded with civilians who they were fleeing violencea Western security source said. It was unclear whether Taliban fighters were also entering the city posing as refugees, the source said.

“The fear is that suicide bombers will enter diplomatic barracks to scare, attack and make sure everyone leaves as soon as possible.“, He said.

The speed of the Taliban’s advance shocked the government and its allies. The group, which controlled most of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, when it was ousted for harboring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after 9/11, he wants to defeat the US-backed government and re-impose strict Islamic law.

The spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Ned Prize, noted that the attacks went against the spirit of the 2020 accord.

The Taliban pledged to discuss a peace deal that would lead to a “permanent and complete ceasefire.”Price said Wednesday. “All indications at least suggest that the Taliban are seeking victory on the battlefield,” he added, and concluded: “Attacking provincial capitals and targeting civilians is incompatible with the spirit of the agreement ”.

The United Nations says more than 1,000 civilians have died in the past month, and the International Committee of the Red Cross said that since August 1, some 4,042 injured people have been treated in 15 health centers.

The Taliban denied that they wanted to kill civilians and they called for an independent investigation.

The group “did not attack any civilians or their homes in any locality, but the operations were carried out with great precision and caution.”spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in a statement on Wednesday.

Peace talks

The loss of Faizabad was the latest setback for the presidential government Achraf Ghani, who flew to Mazar-i-Sharif to rally former warlords in the defense of the largest city in the north as Taliban forces moved closer.

Ghani has spent years marginalizing warlords while trying to project the authority of his government. central over the rebel provinces.

The president of the United States, Joe bidenHe said on Tuesday he did not regret his decision to step down and urged Afghan leaders to fight for their homeland.

Washington had spent more than $ 1 trillion in 20 years and lost thousands of American soldiers, Yes continues to provide air support, food, equipment and salaries to Afghan forces.

Afghans “must determine whether they have the political will to fight back and if they have the capacity to come together as leaders to fight back, ”White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Psaki declined to comment on intelligence assessments that Kabul could be overtaken by the Taliban within 90 days, which were first reported by the Washington postBut he said the plan to withdraw troops by August 31 was maintained.

A source close to the assessments said they described a range of possible outcomes, including a swift Taliban takeover, a protracted fight and a possible negotiated settlement between the Taliban and the current government.

New generation

The Taliban’s advances have raised fears of a return to power of extremist militants. who were formed in 1994 in the chaos of civil war.

A new generation of Afghans, who have come of age since 2001, fear that progress in areas such as women’s rights and media freedom.

Price of the State Department said the United States is working to forge an international consensus on the need for a peace deal.. The Taliban have captured border districts in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan and China, raising regional security concerns.

Meanwhile, envoys from the United States, China, Russia and other countries met in Doha with negotiators from the Taliban and Afghan government. to try to break a deadlock lasting several months in the peace talks.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Taliban leaders told him earlier this year that they would not negotiate with the Afghan government. as long as Ghani remains president.

(With information from Reuters)

Read on: