Afghanistan's Military Is Overhauling Its War Strategy To Limit Its Losses

Reuters: As Taliban advances, Afghan military overhauls war strategy to limit losses 

KABUL (Reuters) -Reeling from a surge in battlefield losses, Afghanistan's military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure, Afghan and U.S. officials say. 

The politically perilous strategy will inevitably cede territory to Taliban insurgents. But officials say it appears to be a military necessity as over-stretched Afghan troops try to prevent the loss of provincial capitals, which could deeply fracture the country. 

The consolidation of forces, which has been publicly acknowledged but not reported in such detail before, coincides with the U.S. military withdrawal ahead of a formal end to the military mission on Aug. 31, on orders from President Joe Biden.  

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WNU Editor: It looks like the Afghan government has adopted this strategy to counter the Taliban (read the commentary at this link)  .... Taliban And Its Al Qaeda Allies Now Control Much Of Afghanistan (July 12, 2021). 

I also think the Taliban know that this is their moment. That any delay in their military advances will only help the Afghan government to stabilize the situation, to buy time, and to maybe regain the initiative. 

My prediction. 

The Taliban (as mentioned in the previous post) are going to launch a major offensive against Kandahar City in the coming weeks, and definitely before the final US withdrawal on august 31.

They know that the fall of Afghanistan's second major city will be a devastating blow to the Afghan military and its government, and a major jihadist win in the propaganda war against the US and its allies.

The chaos that will then follow after the fall of Kandahar will be like the collapse of the South Vietnamese army and government in 1975. Everyone will be fleeing back to Kabul. And with no US support (and I doubt President Biden will issue the order to intervene), the final collapse of the government will only be a matter of time.