Taliban seize Lashkar Gah after Kandahar, take management of Herat airport in Afghanistan turmoil

The Taliban have claimed to have captured two of Afghanistan’s cities — Kandahar and Lashkar Gah — in an advance that has raised fears of the collapse of the federal government.

Confirming a declare by the insurgents, a senior Afghan safety supply instructed information company AFP on Friday that the important thing southern metropolis of Lashkar Gah has additionally been captured.The declare comes hours after Afghan troops deserted the nation’s third largest metropolis — Herat — to the insurgents. The Taliban stated they’ve taken full management of the Herat International Airport and added that every one personnel on the airport have surrendered.The Taliban earlier stated they’d captured Afghanistan’s second greatest metropolis of Kandahar.Also See: Explained: Strategic significance of Mazer-e-Sharif in Afghanistan; why it holds key to energyThe seize of Kandahar and Herat – the nation’s second and third largest cities will symbolize the Taliban’s two most vital victories since they started a broad offensive in May as US-led international forces withdrew beneath a deal struck between the militants and the United States final yr.The authorities has successfully misplaced most of north, south and west Afghanistan prior to now week, and is left holding the capital and a dwindling variety of contested cities additionally dangerously in danger.On Thursday, the Taliban additionally seized the historic central metropolis of Ghazni, 150 km (90 miles) southwest of Kabul, earlier than over-running Herat within the west and Kandahar within the south, in keeping with the Taliban. The Taliban additionally claimed to have captured Qala-e-Naw within the northwest. People collect on the road as Taliban fighters stand guard on essential street intersection in metropolis of Ghazni, Afghanistan on this display seize taken from a video launched by the Taliban on August 12, 2021. (Reuters)Also See: Three Indian engineers rescued in Afghanistan from space not beneath management of Afghan forcesThe authorities nonetheless holds the principle metropolis within the north – Mazar-i-Sharif – and Jalalabad, close to the Pakistani border within the east, in addition to Kabul.On Wednesday, a US defence official cited intelligence as saying the Taliban might isolate Kabul in 30 days and presumably take it over inside 90.US TO EVACUATE AFGHANISTAN EMBASSY STAFFAs the Taliban swept throughout extra territory, the United States and United Kingdom moved to shortly pull out their embassy workers from the capital. The United States stated it would ship troops to evacuate embassy workers from Kabul.”We are further reducing our civilian footprint in Kabul in light of the evolving security situation,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price instructed reporters, whereas noting the embassy would stay open.The Pentagon stated 3,000 US troops can be deployed to Kabul inside the subsequent 24 to 48 hours, underscoring that they might not be used for assaults on the Taliban.Also See: Govt points safety advisory for Indian journalists in Afghanistan as Taliban advanceUK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stated London would ship 600 of its personal troops to evacuate its nationals and “support the relocation of former Afghan staff who risked their lives serving alongside us”.Price stated the United States would additionally begin sending in each day flights to evacuate Afghan interpreters and others who assisted the Americans and are fearful for his or her lives because of the Taliban’s sweeping offensive.PILING PRESSUREAs the rout unravelled, Kabul handed a proposal to Taliban negotiators in Qatar providing a power-sharing deal in return for an finish to the combating, in keeping with a member of the federal government’s staff in Doha, who requested to not be named.The battle has escalated dramatically since May, when US-led forces started the ultimate stage of a troop withdrawal as a consequence of finish later this month following a 20-year occupation.The lack of Herat and Ghazni piles extra strain on the nation’s already overstretched airforce, wanted to bolster Afghanistan’s scattered safety forces, who’ve more and more been reduce off from reinforcements by street.Pro-Taliban social media accounts additionally boasted of the huge spoils of warfare their fighters had recovered in latest days, posting pictures of armoured autos, heavy weapons and even a drone seized by the insurgents at deserted army bases.Also Read | Taliban seize Afghanistan’s greatest cities Kandahar, Herat; US begins evacuating embassiesAlso Read | US deploys extra troops in Kabul to evacuate civilian personnel as Taliban closes in