Afghan Ambassador to the US slams Biden for suggesting there is a 'political solution' to Taliban onslaught and begs him to launch air strikes amid fears Kabul will fall within 30 days

  • Ambassador Adela Raz also asked that the United States and its allies reimpose travel bans on Taliban leaders and other sanctions
  • Taliban fighters could isolate Afghanistan's capital in 30 days and possibly take it over within 90, a U.S. defense official said citing intelligence reports 
  • The Taliban, who ruled the country from 1996 until U.S. forces invaded after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, captured three more provincial capitals on Wednesday 
  • The insurgents have no air force and are outnumbered by U.S.-trained Afghan defense forces, but they have captured territory with stunning speed 
  • The Taliban wants to defeat the U.S-backed government and reimpose strict Islamic law 
  • Raz said the 'quick' withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has 'created consequences' in her country 
  • Afghanistan's Ambassador to the United States has slammed President Biden for suggesting there's a 'political solution' to the onslaught of violent Taliban fighters amid fears Kabul could fall to them within 30 days.

    Responding to Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby's claim that it was no longer feasible for the US to offer air support to Afghan forces, Adela Raz said: 'But it is feasible because you did that. You did that post-9/11 and it you took control of the entire country in 2 weeks.' 

    She highlighted how there has never been an example of a government making peace with a terrorist group, and warned the US not to assume that political negotiations with the Taliban would yield positive results.

    Alluding to her desire for continued military support, Raz said: 'We have to be also cautions that should not put all our eggs in one basket.'

    She said that her own family members are currently joining the fight against the Taliban, adding: 'I'm assuming that there would be a political solution. We have to prepare for the possibility. What if that is no political solution? I'm not for war. I grew up in war. I lost my relatives. I don't want it.

    'I think for every Afghan it's difficult we don't advocate for war. But there is a time we need to defend the country and ourselves.' 

    Raz also asked that the United States and its allies reimpose travel bans on Taliban leaders and other sanctions in comments to News Nation amid U.S. frustration at Afghan forces' inability to fight-off the extremist group. 

    Taliban fighters could isolate Afghanistan's capital in 30 days and possibly take it over within 90, a U.S. defense official said citing intelligence reports as the resurgent militants made more advances across the country.

    The Taliban, who ruled the country from 1996 until U.S. forces invaded after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, captured three more provincial capitals on Wednesday - giving them effective control of about two-thirds of the country.

    The insurgents have no air force and are outnumbered by U.S.-trained Afghan defense forces, but they have captured territory with stunning speed. The Taliban wants to defeat the U.S-backed government and reimpose strict Islamic law.

    'If I talk about the fall of Kabul, then I'm shattering my hopes,' Raz told News Nation.

    The Afghan Ambassador to the United States has urged President Joe Biden to launch air strikes on the Taliban amid fears Kabul could fall within 30 days

    The Afghan Ambassador to the United States has urged President Joe Biden to launch air strikes on the Taliban amid fears Kabul could fall within 30 days

    Ambassador Adela Raz also asked that the United States and its allies reimpose travel bans on Taliban leaders and other sanctions

    Ambassador Adela Raz also asked that the United States and its allies reimpose travel bans on Taliban leaders and other sanctions

    Afghan men wait near the border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan for the gates to reopen

    Military officials watching the deteriorating situation said that, so far, the Taliban hasn't taken steps to threaten Kabul. But it isn't clear if the Taliban will wait until it has gained control of the bulk of the country before attempting to seize the capital. 

    Raz said the 'quick' withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has 'created consequences' in her country. The U.S. is set to complete the withdrawal of ground troops by the end of the month, formally ending its role in the war. 

    The level of remaining air support is 'extremely limited,' Raz said as she called for the United States to once again increase its air support. As Commander-in-Chief, President Biden could continue to provide air support to the country.

    Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby told the outlet that providing air support will not always be 'feasible' but that the U.S. 'will continue to support them with air strikes.'

    Kirby told reports on Wednesday that the Afghans still have time to save themselves from final defeat.

    'No potential outcome has to be inevitable, including the fall of Kabul,' Kirby said. 

    'It doesn't have to be that way. It really depends on what kind of political and military leadership the Afghans can muster to turn this around.'

    He added: 'The Afghan forces have the capability, they have the capacity, they have numerical advantage, they have an air force. It's really going to come down to the leadership and the will to use those capabilities.'

    Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby said that providing air support will not always be 'feasible' but that the U.S. ' will continue to support them with air strikes'

    Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby said that providing air support will not always be 'feasible' but that the U.S. ' will continue to support them with air strikes'

    US officials say Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani needs to unite his government and take tough decisions to fend off the advance of the Taliban

    US officials say Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani needs to unite his government and take tough decisions to fend off the advance of the Taliban

    The Afghan air force has been uploading videos showing attacks on Taliban fighters in an attempt to bolster morale and turn the tide of the war, with few battlefield victories to report

    The Afghan air force has been uploading videos showing attacks on Taliban fighters in an attempt to bolster morale and turn the tide of the war, with few battlefield victories to report

    Troops are seen lowering a U.S. flag during a handover ceremony in May, as the U.S. is expected to complete its withdrawal by the end of the month

    Troops are seen lowering a U.S. flag during a handover ceremony in May, as the U.S. is expected to complete its withdrawal by the end of the month

    Raz hit back at Kirby's comments - claiming that continued air strikes remain feasible because the U.S. effectively used the strategy when taking control of the country in just two weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks.

    White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last month that the only method to attain 'lasting peace' in Afghanistan would be political - while President Biden said this week the country has to 'fight for themselves.'

    The failure of Afghan security forces to blunt the advance of the Taliban has left U.S. officials deeply frustrated after spending billions to train and equip the country's military for two decades.

    Biden and other officials have repeatedly called for Afghan leaders to unite and fashion a clear strategy amid mounting worries that the insurgents could besiege Kabul within months.

    'We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces,' Biden said Tuesday. 'Afghan leaders have to come together. They've got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation.' 

    Taliban fighters stand along a road in the northern city of Kunduz that was captured by the Taliban on Monday

    Taliban fighters stand along a road in the northern city of Kunduz that was captured by the Taliban on Monday

    A man said to be a Taliban fighter fires his weapon towards where the body of a man was thrown at a location said to be Farah, Afghanistan, in this still image taken from an undated recent video obtained by Reuters

    A man said to be a Taliban fighter fires his weapon towards where the body of a man was thrown at a location said to be Farah, Afghanistan, in this still image taken from an undated recent video obtained by Reuters

    Men said to be Taliban fighters drag the body of a man on the ground at a location said to be Farah, Afghanistan, in this still image taken from an undated recent video obtained by Reuters

    Men said to be Taliban fighters drag the body of a man on the ground at a location said to be Farah, Afghanistan, in this still image taken from an undated recent video obtained by Reuters

    Raz shot back in comments to News Nation: 'We have been fighting for ourselves and for the peace and security of the rest of the world. That we are doing, and we will do it to the last minute.'

    The ambassador told News Nation that she is hesitant to believe that the country would have a peaceful path forward through political negotiations with the Taliban. 

    'I think the start of the negotiation was to come to a political solution. But we have to be also cautious that we should not put all our eggs in one basket,' she said.

    'And assuming there would be a political solution, we have to prepare for the possibility: what if there is no political solution?'

    Raz told News Nation that Afghanistan faces a humanitarian crisis while the country braces for escalating war. 

    'I think for every Afghan, because we don't advocate for war, but there is a time we need to defend ourselves,' Raz said.The Taliban's rapid advance has seen them take control of almost two thirds of the country since President Biden announced the withdrawal of all remaining U.S. troops

    The Taliban's rapid advance has seen them take control of almost two thirds of the country since President Biden announced the withdrawal of all remaining U.S. troops

    U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the attacks by the Taliban were against the spirit of a 2020 agreement.

    The Taliban committed to talks on a peace accord that would lead to a 'permanent and comprehensive ceasefire,' Price said on Wednesday. 

    'All indications at least suggest the Taliban are instead pursuing a battlefield victory,' he said. 'Attacking provincial capitals and targeting civilians is inconsistent with the spirit of the agreement.' 

    Afghan government forces are collapsing even faster than U.S. military leaders thought possible just a few months ago when Biden ordered the withdrawal. 

    Biden has made clear he has no intention of reversing the decision and U.S. military leaders are not pushing him to change his mind. They know that the only significant option would be for the president to restart the war he already decided to end.

    Carter Malkasian, who advised U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan and Washington, said it was his 'strong suspicion' that Biden's August 31 deadline for pulling out of the country would hold.

    People stranded at the Pakistani-Afghan border wait for its reopening after it was closed by the Taliban, who have taken over the control of the Afghan side of the border at Chaman, Pakistan on Wednesday

    People stranded at the Pakistani-Afghan border wait for its reopening after it was closed by the Taliban, who have taken over the control of the Afghan side of the border at Chaman, Pakistan on Wednesday

    Taliban fighters patrol Farah, Afghanistan on Wednesday

    Taliban fighters patrol Farah, Afghanistan on Wednesday 

    Taliban fighters stand guard at a check point in Farah, Afghanistan on Wednesday

    Taliban fighters stand guard at a check point in Farah, Afghanistan on Wednesday

    Thousands of displaced families suffer hardships in a park in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday. About 30,000 families have been displaced due to government and Taliban clashes in the northern provinces

    Thousands of displaced families suffer hardships in a park in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday. About 30,000 families have been displaced due to government and Taliban clashes in the northern provinces

    Internally displaced Afghan families, who fled from Kunduz, Takhar and Baghlan province due to battles between Taliban and Afghan security forces, sit inside their temporary tents at Sara-e-Shamali in Kabul on Wednesday

    Internally displaced Afghan families, who fled from Kunduz, Takhar and Baghlan province due to battles between Taliban and Afghan security forces, sit inside their temporary tents at Sara-e-Shamali in Kabul on Wednesday

    Internally displaced Afghan families are seen with young children amid the country's continued fighting

    Internally displaced Afghan families are seen with young children amid the country's continued fighting

    Senior U.S. military officials cautioned Biden that a full withdrawal could lead to a Taliban takeover, but he decided in April that continuing the war was a waste.

    Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in early May that he foresaw 'some really dramatic, bad possible outcomes' in a worst-case scenario. He held out hope that the government would unify and hold off the Taliban.

    Officials said that there has been no decision or order for an evacuation of American diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan. 

    But one official said the U.S. should now have serious conversation on if the military should begin to move assets into the region to be ready in case the State Department calls for a sudden evacuation.

    The military has long had various planning options for evacuating personnel from Afghanistan - but those would largely be determined by the White House and the State Department. 

    Any plan would likely involve identifying U.S. troops, aircraft and other assets that may have to operate from within Afghanistan. American forces might even have to fight their way in to evacuate personnel from Kabul international airport if the Taliban infiltrate the city.

    The U.S. also would have to determine who would be evacuated: just American embassy personnel and the U.S. military, or also other embassies, American citizens, and Afghans who worked with the U.S. 

    Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint in Kunduz city, northern Afghanistan on Monday. The militants have ramped up their push across much of Afghanistan in recent weeks, turning their guns on provincial capitals after taking district after district and large swaths of land in the mostly rural countryside

    Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint in Kunduz city, northern Afghanistan on Monday. The militants have ramped up their push across much of Afghanistan in recent weeks, turning their guns on provincial capitals after taking district after district and large swaths of land in the mostly rural countryside

    A doctor, right, checks internally displaced children inside of their temporary tent at Sara-e-Shamali in Kabul on Wednesday

    A doctor, right, checks internally displaced children inside of their temporary tent at Sara-e-Shamali in Kabul on Wednesday 

    A Taliban flag is seen on a plinth with people gathered around the main city square at Pul-e-Khumri on Wednesday after Taliban captured Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province north of Kabul

    A Taliban flag is seen on a plinth with people gathered around the main city square at Pul-e-Khumri on Wednesday after Taliban captured Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province north of Kabul

    Afghans stand near a burnt car inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province, southwest Afghanistan on Wednesday

    Afghans stand near a burnt car inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province, southwest Afghanistan on Wednesday

    Taliban fighters are seen inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday

    Taliban fighters are seen inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday

    Internally displaced Afghan women from northern provinces receive medical care in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday

    Internally displaced Afghan women from northern provinces receive medical care in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday

    An Afghan National Army checks passengers at a checkpoint on the road near to the Bagram airfield in Kabul, Afghanistan in early July

    An Afghan National Army checks passengers at a checkpoint on the road near to the Bagram airfield in Kabul, Afghanistan in early July

    People look for useable items at a junkyard near the Bagram Air Base in Bagram in June after the Pentagon began evacuating Bagram airbase as part of its plan to withdraw all forces

    People look for useable items at a junkyard near the Bagram Air Base in Bagram in June after the Pentagon began evacuating Bagram airbase as part of its plan to withdraw all forces

    In that last category are former interpreters and those who face retaliation from the Taliban. The U.S. has already started pulling out hundreds of those Afghans who assisted troops during the war.

    Officials pointed to the fall of Baghlan Province as a worrisome sign because it provides the Taliban with a base and route to Kabul from the north.

    The Islamists now control 65% of Afghanistan and have taken or threaten to take 11 provincial capitals, a senior EU official said on Tuesday. 

    Faizabad, in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, on Wednesday became the eighth provincial capital to be seized by the Taliban.

    Fresh refugee crisis looms as people flee the Taliban

    The Taliban is sweeping across Afghanistan, seizing territory and cities from the government - some of which have been given up with barely a fight.

    Hundreds of thousands of people have fled as the militants closed in, with the UN estimating that 400,000 were displaced in the first few months of this year including 244,000 who have fled their homes since May when fighting began ramping up.

    Most have remained within the country, heading into government-controlled areas in the hopes of finding safety there, with many ending up in the capital Kabul.

    Some 200 crossed the border into Iran at the weekend, the UN says, joining millions of other Afghan refugees who have fled to the country starting four decades ago with the Soviet invasion.

    Others have headed south towards the border with Pakistan, but with the Taliban in control of the main crossing and Pakistan saying it will not accept more refugees, it is unclear how many have crossed.

    Pakistan is already home to at least 2.5million displaced Afghans, though the true toll is thought to be much higher once undocumented refugees are included.

    Fighting was extremely intense in Kandahar city, a doctor based in southern Kandahar province said. The city received scores of bodies of Afghan forces and some injured Taliban.

    All gateways to Kabul, which lies in a valley surrounded by mountains, were choked with civilians fleeing violence, a Western security source said. It was hard to tell whether Taliban fighters were also getting through, the source said.

    'The fear is of suicide bombers entering the diplomatic quarters to scare, attack and ensure everyone leaves at the earliest opportunity,' he said.

    The United Nations said more than 1,000 civilians had been killed in the past month. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that, since August 1, some 4,042 wounded people had been treated at 15 health facilities.

    The Taliban denied targeting or killing civilians and called for an independent investigation.

    The group 'has not targeted any civilians or their homes in any locality, rather the operations have been undertaken with great precision and caution,' spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said in a statement on Wednesday.

    The loss of Faizabad was the latest setback for the government of President Ashraf Ghani, who flew to Mazar-i-Sharif to rally old warlords to the defense of the biggest city in the north as Taliban forces closed in.

    Ghani spent years sidelining the warlords as he tried to project the authority of his central government over wayward provinces.

    The Taliban advances have raised fears of a return to power of the hardline militants who formed in 1994 from the chaos of civil war.

    A new generation of Afghans, who have come of age since 2001, fears the progress made in areas such as women's rights and media freedom will be squandered.

    Price said the United States was working to forge an international consensus behind the need for a peace accord. 

    The Taliban have captured districts bordering Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan and China, heightening regional security concerns.

    Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Taliban leaders told him earlier this year that they will not negotiate with the Afghan government as long as Ghani remains president.CSome experts claim that finger-pointing at the government and Afghan forces from U.S. officials is somewhat disingenuous.

    Defense specialist Anthony Cordesman said that the 'nation-building' achievements U.S. officials have touted in strengthening the central government and in training a modern army over the past 20 years have been vastly exaggerated.

    'The US made far too optimistic claims about the Afghan government´s progress in governance, progress in warfighting and in creating effective Afghan security forces,' he wrote in a new report for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

    Even as the U.S. period neared its end, he said, 'Afghan forces remained dependent on U.S. support for virtually all operations.'

     

    The rape of Afghanistan: Advancing Taliban go door-to-door and forcibly take girls as young as TWELVE to be sex slave 'wives' for their fighters as they sweep across country following NATO withdrawal

    Taliban fighters are going door-to-door and forcibly marrying girls as young as 12 and forcing them into sex slavery as they seize vast swathes of the Afghanistan from government forces. 

    Jihadist commanders have ordered imams in areas they have captured to bring them lists of unmarried women aged from 12 to 45  for their soldiers to marry because they view them as 'qhanimat' or 'spoils of war' - to be divided up among the victors.

    Fighters have then been going door-to-door to claim their 'prizes', even looking through the wardrobes of families to establish the ages of girls before forcing them into a life of sexual servitude. 

    The women and girls' brutal treatment is just the latest sign of Afghanistan's military collapse, which has prompted the Afghan president to sack his top commander.

    One female journalist described fleeing a city in northern Afghanistan - which she did not name - and going into hiding with her uncle for fear the Islamists would hunt her down and execute her. 

    The 22-year-old said she fled under the noses of Taliban gunmen while disguised beneath a burqa and went with her unclear to a nearby village - but was forced to flee again after informants told the militants of her presence.

    Now holed up in a remote location somewhere in the country's north, she said she fears for her life and the safety of her family -  'Will I ever go home? Will I see my parents again? Where will I go? How will I survive,' she said.

    Meanwhile terrified locals who fled the city of Kunduz - captured by the Taliban last week - have told of reprisal attacks carried out by jihadist fighters who hunted down anyone linked to the government and beheaded or executed them. 

    The Taliban has now captured nine of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals and placed most of the country's largest cities under siege in a lighting-fast assault that has seen government forces largely capitulate.  

    Hundreds of thousands of Afghanis have been displaced from their homes in recent weeks by fighting, with fears that could swell to millions if entire country falls (pictured)

    Hundreds of thousands of Afghanis have been displaced from their homes in recent weeks by fighting, with fears that could swell to millions if entire country falls (pictured)

    Displaced Afghans head into Kabul from the northern provinces after leaving their homes behind

    Displaced Afghans head into Kabul from the northern provinces after leaving their homes behind

    Women and their children are seen near the Spin Boldak border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan

    Women and their children are seen near the Spin Boldak border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan

    The fighting has sparked an internal refugee crisis, with many civilians fleeing Afghanistan's regions to the capital Kabul (pictured) in the hopes of being protected from the Taliban

    The fighting has sparked an internal refugee crisis, with many civilians fleeing Afghanistan's regions to the capital Kabul (pictured) in the hopes of being protected from the Taliban 

    Displaced Afghans reach out for aid from a local Muslim organization at a makeshift IDP camp in Kabul,

    Displaced Afghans reach out for aid from a local Muslim organization at a makeshift IDP camp in Kabul,

    Women who have fled fighting in Afghanistan wait to receive food aid in the capital of Kabul, one of the few major cities in Afghanistan that is not under Taliban attack

    Women who have fled fighting in Afghanistan wait to receive food aid in the capital of Kabul, one of the few major cities in Afghanistan that is not under Taliban attack

    A child is pictured sleeping on its mother's shoulder at a refugee camp in the Afghan capital of Kabul

    A child is pictured sleeping on its mother's shoulder at a refugee camp in the Afghan capital of Kabul

    Girls as young as 12 are being taken from their homes and forcibly married to Taliban fighters in areas of Afghanistan they now control as part of the 'spoils of war' (file image)

    Girls as young as 12 are being taken from their homes and forcibly married to Taliban fighters in areas of Afghanistan they now control as part of the 'spoils of war' (file image)

    The Taliban has captured nine of Afghanistan's 35 regional capitals in less than a week, with the cities of Pul-e Khumri and Faizabad in the country's north falling into the Islamist's hands overnight

    The Taliban has captured nine of Afghanistan's 35 regional capitals in less than a week, with the cities of Pul-e Khumri and Faizabad in the country's north falling into the Islamist's hands overnight

    'Sometimes I have to pick up a gun', says female Afghan governor 

    Salima Mazari is one of only three female governors in Afghanistan, having been appointed to lead the northern Charkint district - close to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif - in 2019.

    Born and raised in Tehran after her parents fled Soviet invasion in 1979, she was schooled at the University of Tehran and held a post at the the International Organization for Migration before returning home.

    There, she helped to establish fighting units in her mostly-rural district after requests for reinforcements to the central government were ignored.

    So far she has recruited 600 locals to fight, many of them farmers who had not previously taken up arms.

    Many of them, including Mazari, are from the Hazara community - most of whom are Shia Muslims, who the Sunni Taliban consider a heretical sect.

    That, plus the fact that she is a woman, has made the district a target - meaning Mazari herself has taken up arms and joined the frontlines.   

    Aged in her 40s,  Mazari has already survived several Taliban ambushes and attempts to affix explosive mines to her car. But they have not deterred her.

    Of the three Afghan districts run by women, hers is the only one that the Taliban has never fully captured - though half of it is currently in the hands of the militants, and attacks are becoming more common.

    That is despite the fact that it is located in the country's north - traditionally an anti-Taliban stronghold but that has been rapidly overrun by the militants in recent days.

    Mazari vowed: 'If we don't fight now against the extremist ideologies and the groups that force them on us, we will lose our chance to defeat them. 

    'They will succeed. They will brainwash society into accepting their agenda.'

    The journalist, who spoke anonymously for fear the Taliban will find her, told The Guardian that her life was upturned in two days as fighters approached her home in the north of the country last week.

     She described fleeing under the noses of Taliban fighters attacking the city with rockets and rifles, hiding underneath a chadari or full Afghan burqa.

    Accompanied by her uncle, she fled to a nearby village but was soon informed that locals had tipped off the Taliban about her arrival - and that everybody would be slaughtered if fighters arrived and found her there.

    The pair fled again, this time walking two hours on foot to an even-more remote location where she is now holed up. She has had no contact with her parents since she fled, after all telephone lines in the city were cut.

    Having seized a handful of regional capitals, most in the north of the country, the Taliban now have the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in their sights - with President Ghani flying there today to rally troops and confer with local warlords in the hopes of preventing a rout.

    Ghani met with Atta Mohammad Noor, Mazar's strongman leader, and Abdul Rashid Dostum, a notorious anti-Taliban warlord who served in Soviet ranks, to plan the city's defence after skirmishes on its outskirts on Tuesday.

    The Afghan president also sacked his top commander, Gen. Wali Ahmadzai, and replaced him with Gen. Hibatullah Alizai after a series of battlefield defeats that has left the army stunned and bloodied.

    While Ghani attempts to mount a defence against the Taliban, the war is already consumed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Afghanis forced to flee Taliban guns, bombs, and persecution.  

    The Taliban has rapidly captured territory in Afghanistan, starting in April when Joe Biden said he would keep an promise made by Donald Trump to have all US forces out of the country by September 11.

    With US forces now all-but gone, the jihadists have made rapid gains - sweeping through rural areas and overrunning poorly-defended government outposts.

    President Ashraf Ghani initially played down the threat, saying he had deliberately withdrawn troops into cities which would be easier to defend.

    But that tactic appears to have backfired, with nine regional capitals having fallen to the Islamists in less than a week and most large cities within the country besieged.

    In areas that the Islamists have captured, women have been barred from going to school, working, or leaving their homes without a permit, activists have warned.

    Last month, reports emerged that fighters had ordered imams and tribal elders to prepare lists of all women aged 15 to 45 who were unmarried or widowed so they could be married to their fighters.

    But, writing for Bloomberg, columnist Ruth Pollard said that has now extended down to girls as young as 12.  

    'Now the Taliban are going door-to-door in some areas, compiling lists of women and girls aged between 12 and 45 years for their fighters to forcibly marry,' she wrote.

    Taliban fighters are permitted to do this under their strict interpretation of Islam which views women as 'kaniz' or 'commodities', according Omar Sadr, professor of politics at the American University of Afghanistan. Taliban fighters are pictured in the city of Farah, one of nine they have seized in less than a week as they push to retake the country

    Taliban fighters are pictured in the city of Farah, one of nine they have seized in less than a week as they push to retake the country

    While the Taliban have portrayed themselves on the international stage as reformed moderates, those on the ground say fighters (pictured) are brutal extremists

    While the Taliban have portrayed themselves on the international stage as reformed moderates, those on the ground say fighters (pictured) are brutal extremists

    Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah having captured it from government forces two days ago

    Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah having captured it from government forces two days ago

    Taliban fighters calmly patrolled the streets of Farah on Wednesday, but those who have fled fighting in these cities have reported reprisal attacks and beheadings carried out by the militants

    Taliban fighters calmly patrolled the streets of Farah on Wednesday, but those who have fled fighting in these cities have reported reprisal attacks and beheadings carried out by the militants

    Farah is just one of nine provincial capitals the Taliban now controls, having seized them in just six days

    Farah is just one of nine provincial capitals the Taliban now controls, having seized them in just six days

    Two Taliban fighters stand guard in the city of Farah, the capital of Farah province, after seizing it two days ago

    Two Taliban fighters stand guard in the city of Farah, the capital of Farah province, after seizing it two days agoThat means, following a battle, women are treated as 'qhanimat' or 'spoils of war' to be divided up among the victors.

    'They don't even have to marry them, it is a form of sex slavery,' he said, adding that it also constitutes a form of 'ethnic cleansing' as other cultures are forcibly assimilated into the Taliban's Pashtun group.

    Assessments of the security situation are increasingly grim, with US intelligence sources warning the heavily-defended capital of Kabul - one of the few cities not currently under attack by the Taliban - could fall in as little as a month, handing control of the country back to the Islamists. 

    American officials had previously said Kabul could hold out for between six months to a year after US forces withdrew, but have now dramatically downgraded that assessment after a series of victories for the Taliban.

    Those involved in providing security for American diplomats in Kabul told the Washington Post that they are now contingency planning for how to get their staff out in the event that security collapses within 90 days.

    Others put the time-frame even shorter, saying a collapse is possible within just 30 days. 

    India has already withdrawn its diplomatic staff from Mazar-i-Sharif, flying them out on Tuesday after fighting broke out on the city's outskirts.

    In an attempt to halt the Taliban advance, Ghani flew to the city Wednesday and met with Atta Mohammad Noor, Mazar's strongman leader, and Abdul Rashid Dostum.

    Earlier in the day, Dostum had been pictured loading on to an aircraft in capital Kabul along with hundreds of his loyal commandos before flying into Mazar where he will join the fighting.

    The warlord returned to Afghanistan from his base in Turkey last week to help appraise the security situation, and his flight to Mazar comes just two days after Taliban fighters captured one of his sprawling mansions in Jawzjan province - uploading videos of themselves walking around inside.  

    Even as the government's focus shifted to the north, battles continued to rage in the west and south of Afghanistan - with clashes underway in the major cities of Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar.  

    In Kandahar, fierce clashes erupted between Taliban insurgents and security forces, with heavy fighting being reported near the city's prison, which the militants have been trying to reach for weeks. 

    Prisons are prime targets for Taliban attacks, because they typically house members of the group who can be freed and bolster the ranks.

    Some 220 Taliban fighters are thought to have been freed from prisons in Kunduz and Zaranj alone, TOLO News estimated. 

    While the Taliban has been keen to present itself on the international stage as a legitimate government-in-waiting, claiming to have abandoned the radical practices of its past, those on the ground tell a very different story.

    But even as the Taliban routed government forces, US President Joe Biden gave no hint of delaying his deadline to withdraw all American troops by August 31, instead urging Afghan leaders to 'fight for themselves' on Tuesday.

    'I do not regret my decision' to withdraw US troops after two decades of war, he told reporters in Washington. The Afghan air force has been uploading videos showing attacks on Taliban fighters in an attempt to bolster morale and turn the tide of the war, with few battlefield victories to report

    The Afghan air force has been uploading videos showing attacks on Taliban fighters in an attempt to bolster morale and turn the tide of the war, with few battlefield victories to report

    Footage taken by the beleaguered Afghan air force has been posted online, showing Taliban fighters being blown to bits in an attempt to boost morale among government troops

    Footage taken by the beleaguered Afghan air force has been posted online, showing Taliban fighters being blown to bits in an attempt to boost morale among government troops 

    The flaming wreckage of a Taliban vehicle is seen in footage taken by the Afghan air force and posted online in an attempt to rally government forces that are otherwise being pushed back on all fronts

    The flaming wreckage of a Taliban vehicle is seen in footage taken by the Afghan air force and posted online in an attempt to rally government forces that are otherwise being pushed back on all fronts

    Afghan displaced people who fled from their homes during the fighting carry their belongings in a public park in Kabul

    Afghan displaced people who fled from their homes during the fighting carry their belongings in a public park in Kabul

    Afghan displaced children who fled from their homes during the fighting take shelter in a public park in Kabul

    Afghan displaced children who fled from their homes during the fighting take shelter in a public park in Kabul

    Some 400,000 Afghans have fled their homes since the start of the year, with thousands sheltering in Kabul

    Some 400,000 Afghans have fled their homes since the start of the year, with thousands sheltering in KabulAnd as fighting raged, US diplomats were desperately trying to breathe life back into all but dead talks between the Afghan government and Taliban in Doha, where Washington's special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was pushing the hardline Islamists to accept a ceasefire.

    Biden has stressed that Washington would continue to support the Afghan security forces with air strikes, food, equipment and money for salaries.

    'They have got to want to fight. They have outnumbered the Taliban,' he said.

    The Taliban have appeared largely indifferent to peace overtures, and seem intent on a military victory to crown a return to power after their ouster 20 years ago in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

    The insurgents appeared to be consolidating their hold over captured cities in the north, with rifle-toting militants patrolling the streets of Kunduz on foot and in armored humvees as smoke rose from smoldering shops destroyed during the fight for the city.

    After conquering most of the north, the Taliban have now set their sights on region's biggest city, Mazar-i-Sharif - long a linchpin for the government's control of the area - after capturing Sheberghan to its west, and Kunduz and Taloqan to its east.

    Mazar saw some of the bloodiest fighting during the Taliban's scorched earth rampage through the country in the 1990s, with rights groups accusing the jihadists of massacring up to 2,000 civilians - mostly Shiite Hazaras - after capturing the city in 1998.The Taliban flag is raised over the main square in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, after the Islamists seized it from government forces late on Tuesday

    The Taliban flag is raised over the main square in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, after the Islamists seized it from government forces late on Tuesday

    A Taliban fighter poses with locals in Pul-e-Khumri after it became one of nine cities seized by the group so far

    A Taliban fighter poses with locals in Pul-e-Khumri after it became one of nine cities seized by the group so far

    Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province, after capturing the city earlier this week

    Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province, after capturing the city earlier this week

    Afghanis stand near a burnt car inside the city of Farah after it was destroyed in fighting with government forces

    Afghanis stand near a burnt car inside the city of Farah after it was destroyed in fighting with government forces

    Hundreds of people gather at the border crossing of Spin Boldak, which connects Afghanistan with Pakistan and has been closed since last week

    Hundreds of people gather at the border crossing of Spin Boldak, which connects Afghanistan with Pakistan and has been closed since last week

    Men wait with their cars at the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, amid reports that it will reopen on Thursday

    Men wait with their cars at the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, amid reports that it will reopen on Thursday

    Afghan men wait near the border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan for the gates to reopenDisplaced Afghan children shifted to camps as conflict escalates

    Loaded: 0%
    Progress: 0%
    0:00
    Previous
    Play
    Skip
    Mute
    Current Time0:00
    /
    Duration Time3:45
    Fullscreen
    Need Text
    Security situation in Afghanistan is worsening says UN Spokesperson
    Loaded: 0%
    Progress: 0%
    0:00
    Previous
    Play
    Skip
    Mute
    Current Time0:00
    /
    Duration Time1:47
    Fullscreen
    Need Text
    Afghan President greets officials at airport after Taliban advance
    Loaded: 0%
    Progress: 0%
    0:00
    Previous
    Play
    Skip
    Mute
    Current Time0:00
    /
    Duration Time1:01
    Fullscreen
    Need Text
    47 people believed to be Taliban insurgents killed by Afghan forces
    Loaded: 0%
    Progress: 0%
    0:00
    Previous
    Play
    Skip
    Mute
    Current Time0:00
    /
    Duration Time1:20
    Fullscreen
    Need Text
    Taliban fighters ride motorbikes and carry guns in Afghanistan
    Loaded: 0%
    Progress: 0%
    0:00
    Previous
    Play
    Skip
    Mute
    Current Time0:00
    /
    Duration Time2:05
    Fullscreen
    Need Text
    Gunfight between Taliban and Afghan forces breaks out in Farah
    Loaded: 0%
    Progress: 0%
    0:00
    Previous
    Play
    Skip
    Mute
    Current Time0:00
    /
    Duration Time1:46
    Fullscreen
    Need Text
    Taliban displaces Afghan families and civilian casualties
    Loaded: 0%
    Progress: 0%
    0:00
    Previous
    Play
    Skip
    Mute
    Current Time0:00
    /
    Duration Time4:39
    Fullscreen
    Need Text
    Psaki says Taliban need to 'assess their role in the community'
    Loaded: 0%
    Progress: 0%
    0:00
    Previous
    Play
    Skip
    Mute
    Current Time0:00
    /
    Duration Time1:08
    Fullscreen
    Need Text

No comments:

Powered by Blogger.