New York Times: Taliban Enter Kandahar City and Seize Border Posts
The insurgent assaulted a vital city in Afghanistan’s south on Friday, less than 24 hours after President Biden reaffirmed his decision to withdraw from the country.
KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban forces on Friday penetrated Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city, in a new phase of a sweeping insurgent offensive that has captured territory across the country since May 1, when U.S. forces began withdrawing.
The insurgents had been encroaching on Kandahar city, the capital of the province of the same name, for several weeks, capturing surrounding districts, before entering the city for the first time Friday.
Taliban fighters entered Kandahar’s Seventh Police District Friday, seizing houses and engaging with security forces in the area, said Bahir Ahmadi, the spokesman for the Kandahar governor.
Commandos and other special forces units were battling the insurgents well into the evening, proceeding cautiously because the area is heavily populated, Mr. Ahmadi said.
The Afghan Air Force struck a number of Taliban positions in neighboring districts, as the insurgents attempted to push their way into the city.
The attack comes less than 24 hours after President Biden defended his decision to end American involvement in Afghanistan, asserting that the United States can no longer afford the human cost or strategic distraction of a 20-year conflict that he said had strayed far from its initial mission.
In a nod to the ongoing instability, Mr. Biden said the United States would remain engaged in diplomatic efforts and continue to support the Afghan government with money and supplies even after all U.S. troops withdraw.
The president also affirmed that he did not believe a Taliban takeover of the whole country was inevitable, calling the Afghan security forces “better trained, better equipped and more competent in terms of conducting war.”
Despite Mr. Biden’s affirmations, the Afghan security forces have struggled to defend themselves against the Taliban, who in the span of just over two months have managed to seize at least 150 of Afghanistan’s roughly 400 districts.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Afghan leaders are now admitting the obvious .... Afghanistan unprepared for Taliban onslaught, US ‘irresponsible,’ key warlord says (FOX News/AP). What is unfolding in Afghanistan reminds me of the rise of ISIS in 2014-2015 in Syria and Iraq. Even though ISIS was outnumbered by the Iraqi army, the Iraqi army disintegrated without firing a shot when ISIS launched their campaign. The same is happening in Afghanistan. Apparently the Afghan Army are abandoning military bases without even firing a shot.
More News On The Afghan War
Taliban seize key Kandahar district -- WION
Taliban makes gains in Afghanistan, taking over key border crossing to Iran -- CNN
Taliban say they now control 85% of Afghanistan's territory -- AP
Taliban claiming control over 85pc Afghan soil -- Khaama Press
Taliban Boasts It's Already Taken 85% Of Afghanistan Day After Biden Declared "US Objectives Achieved" -- Zero Hedge
Taliban says it controls '85 percent' of Afghanistan's territory -- France 24
Taliban claim to control most of Afghanistan -- National Interest
Reports: Taliban seize key Afghan border crossing with Iran - AP
Afghan troops tell of carrying wounded to Tajikistan after commanders fled -- AFP
Fighting The Taliban Was 'Suicide': Hundreds Of Afghan Soldiers Escape To Tajikistan -- RFE
10 comments:
If any of this is true, then Biden looks like Baghdad Bob?
Ron
If I were an Afghan soldier and not Afghan special force, I would give up without firing a shot too.
The rules of engagement were shit. when was the AA allowed to battle the Taliban and and overrun a major Taliban base or one they needed. It was fight here, fight there lose men and come back to fought over the same ground another day, with the Taliban always pulling back and never outright losing and sniping at them the whole time.
If those guys had been allowed to fight the Taliban in a balls out fight and win 50% to 60% in a 3 or 5 year period, they would have stood and fought.
If the AA had gone into FATA and taken the camps or villages where the leader types lived, while the Pakistan Army had formed a cordon sanitaire on their side of FATA, the AA would be a fighting force.
The cordon sanitaire could be arrest military aged males and put them in an internment camp and take their weapons. See if there is much of a Taliban after that.
But it was not to be. Why would the Pakistanis arrest their own mercenary army?
I blame Cheney (& a lot of other people). As soon as he okay'd the Kunduz airlift, the Pakistanis had our measure and had blackmail material against him.
Unmitigated disaster that is only beginning to unfold. And though it's an obvious failure of globalism as touted by members of BOTH parties, I can't think of a more deserving fall guy than the slimy slickster now occupying the White House. You go, Joe!
Biden did what Trump promised. America first. End endless wars...but since you are orange man dude, then Biden bad...idea: why don't you go and help the Afghanistan military
I think if Trump were still in office there would have been a more organized withdrawal. I have little reason to think otherwise.
Biden syndicate was more concerned with moving all the drugs they could before their supplier is gone, than organizing a withdrawal.
Is that kinda like a " war of choice"?
War of choice is wrong
Afghanistan was a war of choice
Therefore Afghan War was wrong
Ha ha you crack yourself up. You so funny
Of course it was a war of choice.
1) We could have submitted to Islam and they would have left us alone from then on.
2) We could have place them with 10,000 nubile, young female virgins.
3) We could have and this is my personal favorite, stripped you naked, tied you up like a Thanksgiving Turkey and presented you to the Taliban on a silver platter with some raincoats of course.
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We could have CHOSE any of the above instead of going to war.
302 what? You were attacked by a mostly Saudi Arabia's funded wahabi group@9/11. You invaded Afghanistan for no reason other than bad Intel obtained during torture. It was admitted. What are you on? Osama was slipping in and out between 3 countries and was found near Islamabad, Pakistan. And you didn't do shit to Pakistan because they have nukes. And you didn't do shit to the Saudis because they have subverted some of your own people and play you like a fiddle whenever they need to buy bombs or jets or do the killing for them
Afghanistan was, like Vietnam, an awful war that killed hundreds of thousand of civilians, cost the tax payer nearly a trillion and killed and maimed thousands of US soldiers and instead of holding the military industrial complex and the neocon and warmongering left accountable and see what's going on:::; war profiteering::: none of this will change.
I might be wrong, friend, but know this:
1. Unless we hold the responsible accountable wars will continue
2. One of the next wars, if the revenue line demands, will be fought in your country, even if it's the USA. It'll not be called a war, maybe, but the plan is already out there to make you the next target
Apologies 302, think I misread your post. Think we are aligned
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