Afghanistan: Taliban conquer city after city

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Taliban fighters patrol the streets of Herat

Photo: - / AFP

It is not just the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, also known for the long presence of the Bundeswehr on site: Pul-e-Alam, 70 kilometers south of Kabul, also fell into the hands of the Taliban and also the Guard in Paktika in the southeast of the Country.

Previously, two other small provincial capitals in the east - Asadabad in Kunar and Sharana in Paktika in the southeast - had gone to the Taliban without a fight.

In the days before, Herat and Kandahar, the third and second largest cities in the country, had already fallen.

The government now only controls two large cities - Jalalabad in the east and the capital Kabul.

It is unclear how long President Ashraf Ghani can hold out given the situation.

Ghani himself made a speech to the nation for the first time since the Taliban offensive began.

"I will not allow the imposed war against the population to result in more deaths," he said.

"Serious steps" had been taken to remobilize the army.

In addition, there were »consultations« with political leaders and international partners in order to secure »peace and stability« in Afghanistan.

Ghani did not respond to speculation that he might resign to pave the way for a possible political settlement with the Islamists.

He holds consultations with political leaders and international partners and wants to present results "soon".

Militia leader Dostum escaped from Mazar-i-Sharif

Meanwhile, the militia leader and former governor Atta Mohammed Nur shared his view of how the provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif had fallen: "Unfortunately, as a result of a large, organized and cowardly conspiracy, all government institutions and government forces were turned over to the Taliban," he said influential politicians on Facebook.

He and the regional leader Abul Raschid Dostum escaped the Taliban.

Both had recently built an additional line of defense north of the city to support the security forces.

Panic in Kabul

Kabul residents reacted in panic at the approaching Taliban.

Long queues formed in front of banks on Saturday, and some branches apparently ran out of cash.

According to the US Department of Defense, the Islamists are trying to isolate the capital with its four million inhabitants.

There is a risk that the Taliban will advance into Kabul within a few days.

Biden defends troop withdrawal

Despite the advance, US President Joe Biden defended the withdrawal of US troops from the crisis state. "Another year or five more years of US military presence would have made no difference if the Afghan military cannot or does not want to keep its own country," said a statement from the president on Saturday. An endless American presence in the middle of a civil war in another country was not acceptable to him. "I was the fourth president to lead an American troop presence in Afghanistan - two Republicans, two Democrats," said Biden. He would "not pass this war on to a fifth president."

Biden only announced that he would increase the number of US soldiers who should help with the evacuation of the embassy in Kabul.

Instead of the forecast of 3,000 soldiers, "around 5,000 soldiers" should now be deployed to secure the departure of the embassy staff and countless local civilians, Biden explained.

He warned the Taliban not to obstruct the mission.

Attacks on US interests would be answered swiftly and forcefully.

UN: Afghanistan is spiraling out of control

UN Secretary General António Guterres warned that Afghanistan was getting out of hand.

The international community must make it clear that "a seizure of power through military force is a hopeless endeavor."

This could only lead to a prolonged civil war or the complete isolation of Afghanistan.

sol / dpa / ap