Afghan President Ashraf Ghani paid a lightning visit to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in the north of the country, on Wednesday, to boost the morale of his forces, at a time when Taliban fighters control more than a quarter of the country’s state capitals in less than a week.
In Mazar-i-Sharif, the Afghan president held talks with local military leaders about defending the city, while Taliban fighters approached its outskirts.
The loss of Mazar-i-Sharif, if it occurs, will constitute a catastrophic blow to the Kabul government and will mean a complete collapse of its control. The north of the country is known to be a stronghold of anti-Taliban militants.
For her part, the Afghan ambassador to the United States, Adela Raz, said in a press interview that the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan was
She added that the air support provided by the US forces is very limited, and it should be doubled.
The Afghan ambassador also said that her country is experiencing a difficult humanitarian crisis with the progress of the Taliban. Demanding the United States and Western countries to reimpose sanctions on Taliban leaders.
On the American side, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the solution in Afghanistan is not by the survival of the American forces, but by the Afghan forces, adding that the Taliban continues to control Afghan territory, and that the Pentagon has the authority to assist the Afghan government until the end of the month
The Pentagon spokesperson also refused to comment on the intelligence assessment of the imminent fall of the Afghan capital, Kabul, pointing out that the situation is deteriorating in Afghanistan, and that the issue of Kabul’s fall is not settled.
On the ground, field developments are proceeding rapidly after the Taliban took control of the capitals of 9 of the 34 Afghan provinces. One week, namely Kunduz, Sar Pol, Talukan, and Sheberghan in the north of the country, as well as Zaranj in the southwest.
The movement continued its attack on Mazar-i-Sharif, the largest city in the north, in an effort to bring it down, and took advantage of the past hours to establish its control over other areas. , as
The militants now have a strong presence in all parts of the country including in the north, north-east, and central provinces, such as Ghazni, and Maidan Wardak, and are also approaching Herat in the west, and the cities of Kandahar and Shukr Jah in the south.
