A number of operations have been launched by the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF) in various locations to target the Taliban. It includes the Taliban-controlled district of Nijrab in Kapisa. According to latest indications, the Taliban control 218 districts, while the Afghan government controls 108 districts and 100 districts remain contested.
Conflicts erupted in Herat and the nearby Injil district of the province. Abdul Qane, the governor of the province, said the ANDSF airstrikes have resulted in heavy casualties for the Taliban in Kandahar. As a result, the Taliban has resorted to the strategy of securing a position within the city and among the population in order to engage the ANDSF in urban warfare, a technique the ANDSF might not be familiar with. Former Mujahideen leader Ismail Khan is leading militia forces to support the ANDSF. Residents of Herat have been urged to mobilize against the Taliban and save themselves from ‘forces of ignorance’.
ANDSF operations in Herat are based on extensive clearing operations that have been targeted at selectively targeting areas with Taliban presence that are able to access the interior of the city. In terms of launching operations against the Taliban, the Afghan forces on the ground and the Air Force have been working well together. In an effort to hit back at the Taliban and prevent the Taliban from taking over the city, the government has been doing its best to control the situation. Deputy Interior Minister Abdul Rahman Rahman has been coordinating the strategy of security forces in Herat.
Meanwhile, the Taliban has been carefully gathering and storing weapons recovered during their operations for future use, thus indicating their readiness for a long war. Military equipment captured by the Taliban from the ANDSF should be documented and stored safely, instead of being used by Taliban militants for personal purposes. The ‘directions’ come after a significant number of vehicles, pieces of weaponry, and ammunition fell into Taliban hands during their recent offensives (May-July). The Taliban continue to transfer captured equipment and vehicles to Pakistan.
The Taliban have been using foreign cadres to train new entrants in the conflict due to the casualties suffered by their own forces. In the past, terror organizations such as the IS and Al Qaeda sought out the best-trained cadres from central Asian states. Several of them were instructors with militant groups and were considered among the best in the field, according to intelligence sources.
Trainers from Arab and Chechen countries have trained new cadres being inducted as their numbers decline, causing casualties. More than 6,000 new terrorists are being trained in Pakistan by Arabs and Chechens in preparation for raising a new unit. In the meantime, Pakistani Taliban terrorists continue to infiltrate Afghanistan. However, the Taliban’s activities have not spared the Hazara community, which is likely to face the Taliban’s wrath in the coming days unless preventive action is taken.
According to the US Embassy in Kabul, the targeted killing of Hazaras has been a devastating focus of the IS and the Taliban in this regard. The letter urged an immediate ceasefire, saying: ‘We are learning that the Taliban killed more than 40 civilians in Malistan in Ghazni province. If true, these may constitute war crimes. The human rights abuses must be investigated’.
Iranians have been following the situation closely and would like to protect the Hazaras’ interests as much as possible. Since engaging the Taliban could prove difficult for the Iranians, and Pakistan has a great deal of control over the group, the Iranians may approach the Pakistanis to resolve the matter.
Post Your Comments