On Sunday, Taliban militants entered the eastern city of Jalalabad. A few hours later, Taliban militants took control of Mazar-i-Sharif in the north when government forces were fleeing to the border with Uzbekistan.
While the US media was talking about the withdrawal of the embassy in Kabul within 72 hours, President Joe Biden gave a speech on the reasons for the war in Afghanistan and the withdrawal.
The Taliban announced that their militants have entered the city of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan.
An Afghan security source said, “The Taliban controls the police headquarters in Jalalabad.”
A parliament representative told Al Jazeera that tribal-mediated negotiations to hand over the city of Jalalabad to the Taliban movement have begun.
Earlier, a Taliban spokesperson stated that the movement “has taken control of the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan.”
Al Jazeera reporters confirmed that the government forces have evacuated the central base in Mazar-e-Sharif and are heading to the airport.
Reuters quoted the head of the Balkh Provincial Council, Afzal Hadid, as confirming the Taliban’s control of the city, adding that the city apparently surrendered without a fight.
He said that although there were still sporadic clashes near the city center, the soldiers left their equipment and went to the border crossing.
The commander of the pro-government forces said that all government facilities in Balkh have been handed over to the Taliban.
The Wall Street Journal quoted sources as saying that the two leaders, Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohamed Nur, left Mazar-i-Sharif on Saturday and fled to Uzbekistan.
The Taliban movement also announced that its fighters took control of the center of Laghman Province in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday night, while Afghan media said the movement now controls the highway between Kabul and Jalalabad.
The Associated Press cited local sources to confirm that the Taliban had taken control of Dekandi Province.
Earlier on Saturday, the Taliban extended their control to new provinces, most notably Paktiya, Paktika and Logar, the movement is only 70 kilometers from the capital Kabul.
Security sources told Al Jazeera that Taliban militants took control of the central prison in Paktika State and released all detainees.
The Taliban launched a multi-line attack on Mazar-e-Sharif. According to the Associated Press, Balkh province spokesperson Munir Ahmed Fahad said that Taliban militants attacked the city from multiple directions, leading to violent clashes in the suburbs.
The Afghan Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that in the past 24 hours, 172 Taliban fighters had been killed and 107 injured in military operations in various regions.
Within a few days, the Taliban successfully controlled the capitals of 18 of the country’s 34 provinces. The provincial capitals under its control include Kandahar, the second largest city in Afghanistan, Herat, the third largest city in Afghanistan, and Ghazni on the road to Kabul. They are no more than 149 kilometers apart.
Ongoing battle
Local media released photos of Taliban fighters entering the Shana market. A Taliban spokesperson confirmed that the Kerkut area has been controlled by their fighters.
Fighting continued in the city of Gadez, the center of Paktia Province in the southeast, and Taliban fighters took control of a checkpoint in the area and seized ammunition and weapons.
The Ministry of Defense stated that 22 Taliban militants were killed in the attack on Balkh province in the north of the country. Except for the western and southern parts of the country, the province became the largest area controlled by Taliban militants.
(Al Jazeera)Siege of Kabul
With the country’s second and third largest cities falling into the hands of the Taliban, the capital was effectively and under siege, becoming the last stronghold of government forces.
As Taliban militants approach Kabul, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani held emergency talks with local leaders and international partners on Saturday.
Al Jazeera reporters in Afghanistan quoted official sources as saying that President Ashraf Ghani appointed General Sami Sadat to be responsible for the security and defense affairs of the capital Kabul.
Taliban fighters are now stationed only 50 kilometers away from Kabul, which made several European countries including Britain, Germany, Denmark and Spain rush to withdraw personnel from their embassies in Kabul on Friday.
The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Italy and Spain also announced yesterday that they would reduce their presence in Afghanistan to a minimum and said they would withdraw their staff in Afghanistan, while Germany also said it would reduce its diplomatic staff.
Other countries, such as Norway and Denmark, are more inclined to temporarily close their embassies, while Switzerland, which does not have an embassy, announced the withdrawal of some cooperating personnel and about 40 local employees.
(Al Jazeera)American action
US President Joe Biden said, “We went to Afghanistan to defeat those who attacked us on September 11, 2001. This mission resulted in the death of bin Laden and the retreat of Al Qaeda.”
He added: “I am the fourth president overseeing the US military in Afghanistan, and I will not pass this war to the fifth president.”
He said that the agreement reached by former President Donald Trump puts the Taliban in the strongest military position since 2001.
He emphasized that it is an unacceptable choice for him to allow the United States to be stationed there permanently during a civil war in another country.
He said that if the Afghan army cannot control its country, the U.S. military staying in Afghanistan for another five years will have no effect.
He added: “I have instructed our armed forces and intelligence agencies to be vigilant against future terrorist threats in Afghanistan.”
He continued: “We have notified Taliban representatives in Doha that any action that puts our mission and our personnel at risk will face a response from the U.S. military.”
The US President revealed that he has authorized the deployment of nearly 5,000 US troops to ensure the orderly and safe evacuation of US military personnel in Afghanistan.
Earlier, the US media quoted security and diplomatic sources as saying that the staff of the US Embassy in Kabul will be evacuated within 72 hours and some employees will stay.
The Politico website quoted an informed American source who confirmed that the evacuation of the staff of the US Embassy in Kabul to the airport actually started when the Taliban approached the capital.
The newspaper added that some US Embassy employees arrived at Kabul Airport under strict security protection.
Employees of the U.S. Embassy received orders to destroy or burn sensitive materials, and 3,000 U.S. soldiers were redeployed to protect the Kabul Airport and supervise the evacuation.
In this context, U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held an online meeting with the national security team to discuss how to reduce the number of American civilians in Afghanistan and evacuate Afghan partners applying for special immigrant visas. Make continuous efforts and pay attention to the development of the security situation.
Present at the meeting were the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Staff, the National Security Advisor and the Homeland Security Advisor.
“Washington Post” reported that American diplomats have asked the Taliban to stop advancing, otherwise they will face the U.S. military in Kabul.
The Axios website stated that President Joe Biden’s assistant does not expect the United States to establish a long-term diplomatic presence in Afghanistan after August.
Axios quoted sources as saying that the 3,000 soldiers sent to Kabul to help evacuate civilians will be evacuated by the end of this month.
The Axios website also quoted a senior official from the US State Department as reporting that the US Embassy in Kabul has been opened and the US intends to continue its diplomatic work in Afghanistan.
An official from the US Embassy told the website that the end of August is still far away and the US government will not allow anyone to intimidate or bully the US and drive the US out of Afghanistan.
(Al Jazeera)Lack of resistance
US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said that the US did not expect that the Afghan army would have no resistance and could not stop the advancement of the local Taliban movement.
In accepting CNN (CNNDuring the interview, Kirby added that Afghanistan’s political and military leadership lacked the will to repel Taliban attacks.
Kirby expressed concern about the speed of Taliban operations and pointed out that the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan will be a major factor in President Joe Biden’s approval of the troop increase.
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