Kabul: Taliban races closer to the complete military takeover of Afghanistan Sunday after capturing more major cities, leaving only the capital isolated Kabul to conquer.
The rebels took control of the eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday, only hours after grabbing the North Anti-Taliban Fortress Mazar-I-Sharif – expand amazing defeat from government forces and warlord militia achieved in just 10 days.
“We woke up this morning to the white flag of the Taliban throughout the city.
They entered without fighting,” said Resident Jalalabad Ahmad Guardian, who confirmed the claim on the social media made by the Taliban.
The government of President Ashraf Ghani seems to be abandoned with several choices because the Taliban effectively surrounds Kabul – whether preparing for bloody fighting for capital or capitulation.
On Saturday he tried to project the resemblance of the authority with the national address where he talked about “rebuilding” the military while looking for “political solutions” in the crisis.
But the loss of mazar-i-sharif and jalalabad is a big back-to-back blow to Ghani and his government.
It left the Taliban – who had a fighters less than an hour’s drive from Kabul – holding all the cards in each negotiated capital.
President Joe Biden ordered an additional deployment of 1,000 US troops to help secure emergency evacuations from Kabul Embassy employees and thousands of Afghans who worked for American forces and are now afraid of retaliation of Taliban.
It was above 3,000 American troops deployed in the last few days, and 1,000 left in the country after Biden announced in May that the final withdrawal of the 20-year-old military presence in Afghanistan would be completed on September 11.
The decision had emerged under the increase in supervision considering the collapse of the Afghan armed forces, but he insisted on Saturday there was no choice.
“I am the fourth president to lead the presence of American forces in Afghanistan – two Republicans, two Democrats.
I will not, and will not, continue this war to fifth,” Biden said.
Videos posted on pro-Taliban social media accounts show armed groups of groups in cities throughout the country, waving the white flag and greeting local residents.
Most warriors appear young, suggesting them most likely or not born when the Taliban was dropped from power in 2001 by the US and allies of their warlords.
In Mazar-i-Sharif, Taliban fighters quickly took over.
“They have gone on their vehicles and motorbikes, shooting into the air in the celebration,” said Atiqullah Ghayor, who lives near the famous blue mosque in the city.
Warlords Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohammad Noor, who have led a militia resistance in the city to support government forces, have fled to Uzbekistan, about 30 kilometers north, said a helper noor.
Noor then tweeted that they were betrayed by the military and were in “safe place”, added: “I have many countless stories that I will share in time.” When the Taliban closed in the capital, residents who panicked swarming the bank for the second day, hoped to attract their savings.
Many have resigned to the Taliban to take power.
“My only hope is that their returns lead to peace.
That’s what we want,” said Kabul Shopkeeper Tariq Nezami.
In his first address to the nation since the Taliban launched their attack, Ghani said he wanted to stop violence, but offered some specifics about what his government planned.
The Presidential Palace then said: “Delegation with authority must be immediately appointed by the government and ready for negotiations.” For tens of thousands who have been looking for protection in Kabul in recent weeks, an extraordinary mood is one worries and fear.
A doctor who arrived in the capital with his 35-strong family from Kunduz said he planned to return today.
“I’m worried there will be many battles here.
I prefer to return home, where I know it has stopped,” he told AFP, asked not to be named.
The scale and speed of their progress have surprised Afghanistan and the US-led alliance that poured billions to the country after adding rebels after the attack on September 11, 2001.
Afghan individual soldiers, units and even all divisions had surrendered – hand over the Taliban and even more vehicles and military hardware for the progress of their lightning.