The Taliban have captured 19 provinces and their capitals in Afghanistan by Friday evening. Meanwhile, government and military officials in the capital, Kabul, have stepped up their activities.
The Taliban is increasingly occupying major cities in Afghanistan. The rebels are now just 50 kilometers away from the capital, Kabul. At the same time, the Taliban have captured 19 of the 34 provinces and their capitals.
Taliban sources said the militants had infiltrated Phool-e-Alam, the provincial capital of Logar, bordering Kabul. It is just 50 kilometers from the capital Kabul. This means that Kabul can be reached in just 2 hours. Earlier on Friday, the Taliban also captured Kandahar and Lashkar Gah.
An atmosphere of chaos in Kabul, no one knows what will happen next
There is an atmosphere of chaos in Kabul at the moment. No one knows what will happen next. Some are saying that President Gani will resign. Some are saying they will fight off Taliban. People are confused and uncertain about their future.
Multiple sources say Ghani ruled out idea of resigning despite rumours it was on the cards… Taliban strategy looks likely to further surround Kabul and isolate the Govt… either they will then make a military push, or bank on international pressure on Ghani to step down
— Secunder Kermani (@SecKermani) August 13, 2021
The Taliban have captured 19 provinces and their capitals in Afghanistan by Friday evening. These provinces are- Nimroz, Javjjan, Spiral, Takhari, Kunduz, Samangan, Farah, Baglan, Badakhshan, Ghazni, Herat, Badghish, Kandahar, Helmand, Ghor, Uruzgan, Jabul, Laeger and Paktia.
Meanwhile, government and military officials in the capital, Kabul, have stepped up their activities. On Friday itself, President Ashraf Ghani held a high-level meeting on national security. He then put an end to speculation of resignation and said that we will fight the Taliban vigorously.
Pakistan also demanded Ghani’s resignation
The Taliban have demanded Ghani to step down as president. Pakistan has been making similar demands. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has even said that they will not talk about bilateral relations until the President of Afghanistan is removed.
Amid the Taliban’s growing grip on Afghanistan, NATO allies met in the North Atlantic Council on Friday. The coalition has criticized Taliban violence at the meeting, as well as decided to continue supporting the Afghan government. “We are assessing developments at the grassroots level,” NATO said. NATO is also in constant touch with the Afghan authorities and the rest of the international community.
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