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Afghan security forces patrol Herat (archive image)
Photo: Hamed Sarfarazi / AP
The US government has accused the Afghan leadership and security forces of a lack of combat readiness in view of the advance of the Taliban. It is "worrying" to see that the political and military leadership did not have the "will" to oppose the advance of the militant Islamists, said US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby, CNN. The US could not have foreseen the "lack of resistance" by the Afghan armed forces, Kirby said on Friday (local time) in an interview with the broadcaster.
The Afghan security forces are superior to the Taliban in terms of equipment, training and troop strength and have their own air force, Kirby said.
With a view to the US government's financial support for the security forces, he added: "Money cannot buy a will." The political and military leadership of the Afghans is responsible for this.
Kirby warned that readiness to fight was necessary to prevent the Taliban from taking control of the entire country.
The US military announced on Thursday that it would move around 3,000 soldiers as reinforcements to Kabul Airport in order to support the reduction of the staff at the US embassy.
Around 5000 more soldiers are also stationed in the Middle East to stand by as possible reinforcements.
The militant Islamist Taliban have now brought more than half of the 34 provincial capitals under their control.
On Thursday and Friday, Herat and Kandahar, the third and second largest cities in the country, fell to the Islamists.
With Pul-i Alam in Logar province, the Taliban have also captured a provincial capital only around 70 kilometers south of the capital Kabul.
Canada plans to take in up to 20,000 refugees
Given the advance of radical Islamists, Canada has promised to accept up to 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan.
"The situation in Afghanistan is heartbreaking and Canada will not stand idly by," said Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino on Friday (local time) at a press conference in Ottawa.
Canada wants to take in "particularly vulnerable" Afghans who are still in the country or who have fled to neighboring countries.
According to Mendicino, the admission offer is aimed in particular at women in management positions, government employees, human rights activists, journalists and members of persecuted minorities.
Some planes with asylum seekers from Afghanistan have already taken off.
According to the government, personnel from the Canadian embassy in Kabul are also to be flown out.
Canadian special forces would also be used for this.
The government did not want to give details because of the difficult security situation in the Hindu Kush.
"Protecting the Canadian embassy and our staff is our top priority," said Foreign Secretary Marc Garneau.
On the online service Twitter, he referred to the Afghans, to whom his country owed "gratitude," and assured that Canada would continue its "efforts to bring them to safety."
hen / dpa / AFP