The Taliban have conquered this Saturday Mazar-i-Sharif, the great bastion that the Government had left in the north of the country, and they continue their rapid advance on Kabul. The President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, has addressed citizens in a televised message to report that he has initiated contacts with local leaders and international partners to urgently find a solution that guarantees "peace and stability" in the country . The Taliban are advancing relentlessly to take Kabul, where the first US soldiers sent to support the evacuation of their diplomats have already landed. The insurgents have taken two other provinces this Saturday. The militias are located a few dozen kilometers from the capital of Afghanistan, according to various sources. The Associated Press agency already places them in a district 11 kilometers away.
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"I have initiated consultations", which "advance rapidly" in the Government, with political leaders and international partners, to find "a political solution that brings peace and stability to the Afghan people," Ghani said this Saturday.
"The result will be shared with our compatriots very quickly," he added.
"The remobilization of our security and defense forces is our number one priority," said the president.
The military situation is critical for the Government.
In just over a week, the Taliban have taken control of almost the entire north, west and south of Afghanistan and are at the gates of Kabul.
The insurgents are between 40 and 70 kilometers from the capital, according to various sources, and are continuing their offensive.
The President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, during an appearance in Kabul.
In video, Ghani affirms that the reintegration of the security and defense forces are a priority for his government.PHOTO AND VIDEO: REUTERS
"I will not let the war imposed on the people cause the death of more innocent people, the disappearance of the achievements of the last 20 years, the destruction of public facilities and the continuation of instability," Ghani has promised.
The president made no reference to a possible resignation, claimed by some voices.
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Two more provinces
The taking of Mazar-i-Sharif is a new coup against the Afghan government.
Government security forces have fled to the border with Uzbekistan, according to Reuters.
"The Taliban have taken control of Mazar-i-Sharif," said Afzal Hadid, head of the Balkh provincial council, who assured that the city had fallen without much resistance, although sporadic clashes were still taking place on the outskirts. .
"[The Taliban] are parading with their vehicles and motorcycles, firing into the air to celebrate," Atiqullah Ghayor, a resident of the city, told France Presse, who also explained that the Afghan forces had withdrawn from the town.
The Taliban have also taken two other provinces this Saturday and are dangerously close to the capital.
The insurgents have completed the seizure of Logar province, in southern Kabul and have detained local authorities, according to sources cited by AP, who assure that the militias are in the district of Char Asyab, 11 kilometers to the south. From the capital.
Paktika province and its capital, Sharana, have also fallen to the Taliban.
"Officials have evacuated the governor's house and the police headquarters and the Taliban have entered the city," the deputy for Paktika province in the lower house of the national Parliament, Khalid Asad, told Efe.
Sharana was handed over peacefully and without "firing a bullet," Asad noted, as government officials and security forces evacuated the city after reaching an agreement with the Taliban through tribal leaders in the area.
Evacuation and destruction of documentation
The first US soldiers of the 3,000 sent to ensure the evacuation of diplomats in the country arrived in Kabul this Saturday.
The last ones are expected to arrive on Sunday.
Meanwhile, US Embassy personnel are busy destroying and burning sensitive documentation and American symbols that could be used by the Taliban for propaganda purposes.
In a service note to which the agency France Presse has had access, a person in charge of the embassy indicates to the staff where the incinerator and other equipment to destroy documents are located.
"We also appreciate the inclusion of articles with the embassy or ministry logo, American flags and other items," the note states.
This is a common procedure in these cases, according to a spokesman for the State Department.