The Taliban are threatening to take over the capital of a major Afghan city amid fierce fighting. Despite the persistent US and Afghan airstrikes, militants continue to assault Lashkar Gah in southern Helmand province. According to reports, the Taliban seized a TV station. Thousands of people fled rural areas and sought shelter in buildings. ‘There is fighting all around,’ a doctor told the BBC.
A large number of Afghan reinforcements have been deployed to combat the militants. Taliban advances have accelerated in recent months with US forces withdrawing after 20 years of combat operations. A Taliban victory in Helmand would be a significant blow to the Afghan government, which was the centerpiece of US and British military operations. If Lashkar Gah falls, the Taliban would be in control of a provincial capital for the first time since 2016. It is one of three provincial capitals under attack.
Taliban victory in the city will have a ‘devastating effect on global security’, said a city commander. According to Maj Gen Sami Sadaat, this is not a war in Afghanistan, but a struggle between liberty and totalitarianism. The Afghan Ministry of Information announced on Monday that 11 radio stations and four television channels have stopped broadcasting due to what it described as Taliban ‘attacks and threats’. Armed militants continue to try to take Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city, after rocket attacks hit its airport on Sunday.
If the Taliban were to conquer Kandahar, it would be a major victory for them, giving them control over the South of Afghanistan. After days of fierce fighting, government commandos are battling the insurgents in Herat, a third besieged city in the west. In the aftermath of Friday’s attack on a UN compound, the government has retaken some areas. There were videos showing residents in Herat shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (‘God is greatest’) as they supported the government.
President Ashraf Ghani blamed the increased violence on a sudden withdrawal of US troops as government forces struggled to contain Taliban advances. According to Ghani, current events are a result of a decision made abruptly by Washington. A withdrawal from the pact would result in ‘consequences’, he warned. The US has continued to support government forces, despite the departure of nearly all its military forces. In the late hours of Monday, strikes continued against Lashkar Gah.
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Due to an increase in violence, President Biden’s administration announced on Monday that it would take in thousands of Afghan refugees who worked with US forces. According to reports, US and UK officials are accusing the Taliban of massacring civilians near the Pakistani border in a town they captured. Several reports of Taliban atrocities are deeply disturbing and totally unacceptable according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The horrific videos allegedly showing revenge killings emerged from Spin Boldak. However, Taliban officials deny the allegations.
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