The Taliban seized the last major city outside the country’s increasingly isolated central government-held city on Sunday, cutting off the capital to the east as helicopters began landing at the US embassy in Kabul.
The fall of Jalalabad, near a major border crossing with Pakistan, leaves Afghanistan’s central government in control of only Kabul and seven other provincial capitals of the country’s 34. In a nationwide attack that has lasted just over a week, the Taliban have been defeated, with some air support by US forces, co-opting or dispatching Afghan security forces fleeing wide areas of the country.
Rapid shuttle-run flights near the embassy began hours later as diplomatic armored SUVs could be seen exiting the post’s vicinity. The US government did not immediately acknowledge the movements. Although two US military officials spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the situation, traces of smoke could be seen near the embassy’s roof as diplomats promptly destroyed sensitive documents. Had given.
President Ashraf Ghani, who spoke to the nation Saturday, for the first time since the offensive began, also appears increasingly isolated. The warlords with whom he spoke a few days earlier either surrendered to the Taliban or fled without a military option, leaving Ghani. Negotiations in Qatar, instead of the Taliban office, have also failed to halt the insurgents’ progress.
Fearing the future, thousands of citizens now live in parks and open spaces in Kabul. While Kabul appeared calm on Sunday, some ATMs stopped dispensing cash as hundreds gathered in front of private banks trying to withdraw their life savings.
The rebels posted photos online early on Sunday, showing them at the governor’s office in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province.
Abrarullah Murad, a legislator from the province, told The Associated Press That the rebels captured Jalalabad when the elders negotiated the downfall of the government there. Murad said that there was no fighting as the city surrendered.
NS Falling on the Saturday of Mazar-i-Sharif, The country’s fourth-largest city, which the Afghan army and two powerful former warlords had pledged to protect, handed control of all of northern Afghanistan to the rebels.
Officials close to Dostum said Atta Mohammed Noor and Abdul Rashid Dostum, two warlords Ghani tried to rally on his side a few days ago, fled to the border in Uzbekistan on Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about his movements.
Writing on Twitter, Noor alleged that a “conspiracy” assisted the Taliban in the fall of the North, without elaborating.
“Despite our strong resistance, sadly, a massive, organized and cowardly conspiracy resulted in the handover of all government and Afghan security forces equipment to the Taliban,” Noor wrote. “They had hatched a conspiracy to implicate Marshal Dostum and me too, but they did not succeed.”
In his speech on Saturday, Ghani vowed not to give up 20 years of “achievements” since the US-led invasion toppled the Taliban in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
peace talks continue
The US has continued peace talks between the government and the Taliban in Qatar this week, and the international community has warned that a Taliban government brought in by force will be abandoned. But the rebels show little interest in making concessions as they win the battlefield.
“We have begun consultations with elders and political leaders within the government, representatives from different levels of the community, as well as our international partners,” Ghani said. “Soon the results will be shared with you,” he said without elaborating further.
Many Afghans fear a return to the repressive Taliban regime. The group previously ruled Afghanistan under a stricter version of Islamic law that prohibited women from going to work or school, and could not leave their homes without a male relative accompanying them.
Salima Mazari, one of the country’s few female district governors, expressed fears about the Taliban takeover in an interview with Mazar-e-Sharif on Saturday before it collapses.
“There will be no place for women,” said Mazari, which controls a district of 36,000 people near the northern city. “There are no women now in the provinces under Taliban control, not even in the cities. They are all imprisoned in their homes.”
In a statement late Saturday, however, the Taliban stressed that their fighters would not enter people’s homes or interfere with businesses. He also said he would offer an “apology” to those working with the Afghan government or foreign forces.
“The Islamic Emirate once again assures all its citizens that it will, as always, protect their lives, property and honor and create a peaceful and secure environment for their beloved nation,” the rebels said. “In this regard, no one should worry about his life.”
Despite the pledge, for those who can buy tickets, the only way out of the country is arriving at Kabul International Airport.
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