The Taliban occupied 10 cities on the 7th, and the Afghan government was in danger, and the United States was a big satin

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Since the U.S. and NATO began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in May, the Taliban have launched a massive military campaign that has taken control of much of the country's rural areas but has failed to capture major cities for months. But in the last seven days, the Taliban have captured 10 of Afghanistan's capitals, the latest of which is Ghazni, the capital of Afghanistan's eastern province, just about 150 kilometers from the capital, Kabul.

Prior to this, the Taliban first occupied the provincial capital city of Zaranj near the Border with Iran on the 6th, and occupied another provincial capital city, Hibirgan, on the 7th. On the 8th, the Taliban occupied three other northern provincial capitals, namely Talukan, the capital of Tahar Province, the capital city of the same name in Sarpre, and kunduz, an important commercial center. On the 9th, the Taliban continued to launch an offensive, occupying Aibak, the capital of Samangan Province, and on the 10th, occupying the capital of the same name in Western Farah Province, the capital of Baghlan Province in the north, Pülhumli, and the capital of Badakhshan Province, Fazabad.

Faced with the Taliban's overwhelming victory, the Afghan government and security forces are overwhelmed. The loss of these northern Afghan cities also led to fears that the Taliban would soon occupy the capital, Kabul, because the northern cities now occupied by the Taliban were the core of resistance to the Taliban's rise to power in 1996.

According to U.S. officials, the latest intelligence assessment suggests Kabul could fall into the hands of militants as soon as a month later. The United States now fears that Afghan civilians, soldiers and others will flee the city before the Taliban attack.

Something like this has already happened. As the security situation deteriorates, Afghan Acting Finance Minister Khalid Payenda has resigned and left the country, the New York Times reported. Although he said on social media that he left because of family issues, his departure for many Afghans was a signal that their political leaders were all but acknowledging that the Taliban could take over the Taliban in the future.

But Whether the Taliban will attack Kabul is a matter of opinion, with former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker. Earlier, he said Afghanistan was more likely to be mired in a protracted civil war than the Taliban's quick-fix decision to seize power. He said on the ABC political commentary program This Week: "A protracted civil war is a more likely outcome than the Taliban taking over the country quickly." They are very shrewd at this point, and they will not launch a big attack directly on Kabul. He added: "They (the Taliban) are doing this in part to create an atmosphere of fear and panic to show the amazing success they have achieved." ”

What is the attitude of the United States, which is withdrawing its troops, toward the "astonishing success" of the Taliban?

The New York Times reported that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan would end at the end of the month, and that a string of recent military victories by the Taliban has not prompted President Biden to reassess the plan. This seems to send a message to the Afghan government that there is no doubt that the 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan is over and that afghan forces will have to retake the cities on their own or hand them over to the Taliban permanently.

(Source: Asia Pacific Daily APD News)