Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday pledged to re-mobilize the armed forces as the Taliban continue to draw closer to the capital, where residents make no secret of their anguish for the future.
"
The remobilization of our security and defense forces is our number one priority and serious measures are being taken to this effect
", declared Mr. Ghani, in a televised address to the Nation.
Read also: America stunned by the scale of its defeat in Afghanistan
He made no allusion to a possible resignation, demanded by some, but specified that he had started "
consultations
" within the government, with political leaders and international partners, to find "
a political solution in which peace and stability
”are preserved.
"
These consultations are progressing rapidly and the result will be shared with our compatriots very quickly,
" he added.
The military situation is critical for those in power.
In just over a week, the Taliban took control of almost all of northern, western and southern Afghanistan and reached the gates of Kabul.
They are only 50 km from the capital and show no sign of wanting to slow down.
Read also: In Afghanistan, the activity of NGOs disrupted by the advance of the Taliban
Heavy fighting was also taking place on Saturday around Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh province, where the Afghan army carried out new airstrikes.
This commercial hub is the only major city in the north of the country that the Taliban have not yet taken control.
Besides Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad (eastern part of the country), Gardez and Khost (south-eastern) are the only other major cities still controlled by the government.
For the residents of Kabul and the tens of thousands of people who have fled their homes in recent weeks to take refuge in the capital, fear prevails.
Helicopter ballet
The streets of the capital were normally busy on Saturday, but long lines could also be seen outside banks, and some men told AFP they had started growing beards, in anticipation of an imminent arrival of the Taliban. in the city.
Many Afghans - women in particular -, accustomed to the freedom they have enjoyed over the past 20 years, fear a return to power by the Taliban.
"
It is particularly horrifying and heartbreaking to see the hard-
won
rights of Afghan girls and women being taken away from them,
" UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday.
Read also: Afghanistan: the lightning advance of the Taliban threatens Kabul
A ballet of helicopters streaked across the Kabul sky on Saturday, between the airport and the American Embassy, a gigantic complex located in the
ultra-fortified “
green zone
” in the center of the capital.
A first contingent of US Marines has arrived in the capital where its role will be to secure the evacuations of diplomatic personnel, as well as Afghans who worked for the United States and fearing retaliation from the Taliban.
The United States intends to evacuate "
thousands of people a day
" and for this the Pentagon will deploy before the end of the weekend 3,000 soldiers at the airport of the capital, its spokesperson, John Kirby said on Friday.
No "
imminent threat
" -
The United States Embassy in Kabul has ordered its staff to destroy sensitive documents and American symbols that could be used by the Taliban "
for propaganda purposes
."
London at the same time announced the redeployment of 600 soldiers to help British nationals to leave.
Several countries - the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Italy and Spain - also announced Friday the reduction to the bare minimum of their presence in the country, as well as repatriation programs for their Afghan employees.
Germany will also reduce its diplomatic staff "
to the absolute minimum
".
Others, including Norway and Denmark, preferred to temporarily close their embassies.
Switzerland, which does not have an embassy there, has announced the repatriation of some Swiss employees and around forty local employees.
The Taliban launched their offensive in May, when US President Joe Biden confirmed the departure of the country's last foreign troops, 20 years after their intervention to oust the Taliban from power.
This withdrawal must be completed by August 31.
Joe Biden has since said he does not regret his decision, although the speed with which the Afghan army disintegrated surprised and disappointed the Americans, who spent more than $ 1,000 billion to train and equip it.
Still, the United States continued to assert on Friday that Kabul did not face an "
imminent threat
" and that the Taliban's seizure of power was not in their eyes an inevitable outcome.
Read also: Biden's "dangerous" policy leads Afghanistan to "disaster"