The Taliban continues to expand its control, and Kabul strengthens the security of its airport, and Western countries begin evacuating their diplomats

The Taliban announced that it had taken control of 4 checkpoints in the central Afghan state of Bamiyan, and the city of Yura in the state of "Ghor" in the west, while the Kabul authorities reinforced the security of the city's airport by deploying missile batteries, and a number of countries began evacuating their diplomats for fear of exacerbating the situation.

The spokesman for the Afghan forces said that his forces managed to recover 5 districts from the Taliban in 3 Afghan provinces, and the Ministry of Defense announced the installation of a defense system in the center of Kabul to protect it from missiles.

In the same context, the governor of Takhar province, Abdullah Qarluq, said that the Afghan forces killed 55 Taliban militants, wounded 90 others and inflicted "heavy losses".

The Afghan Ministry of Defense also announced on Twitter that more than 10 Taliban fighters were killed in air strikes by the Air Force on hideouts in Taleqan city, central Takhar province.

A few days ago, Taliban fighters entered the capital of Badghis state, in the west of the country, and seized police and security facilities, and tried to seize the governor's office before the special forces forced them to retreat.

The movement launched a new campaign to control several areas in the past weeks, coinciding with the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country.

air defense system

On the other hand, the Afghan authorities announced yesterday, Sunday, the operation of an air defense system to protect Kabul Airport, after the Taliban had taken control of several areas adjacent to the Afghan capital, which raised fears of an attack on Kabul or its airport in the foreseeable future.

The Afghan Ministry of Interior said - in a statement - that the newly established air defense system went into operation at 02:00 am on Sunday.

She added that this system "has proven its effectiveness around the world, in repelling rocket and missile attacks."

Turkey had announced its commitment to ensuring the security of Kabul Airport with the end of the expected withdrawal of US and foreign forces on August 31, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed - Friday - that Ankara and Washington had agreed on "arrangements" for his country's forces to hand over the airport.

Diplomatic moves

At the level of political movements, a high-level delegation from the Taliban political office arrived in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.

A statement by the movement stated that the delegation met with the Turkmen Deputy Foreign Minister and other officials.

The two sides discussed relevant political, economic and security issues, in addition to the issue of peace in Afghanistan.

In the meantime, the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed his country's fear of a civil war in Afghanistan, and stressed that the control of Afghanistan by military force by any party would not solve the problem, as he described it.

For his part, warned a spokesman for the Pakistani armed forces of the influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistani territory, with the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan.

This comes at a time when Pakistan continues to close the "Tarkhum" crossing with Afghanistan since last Tuesday, to prevent the spread of the Corona virus.

In Washington, US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby renewed the call for the Afghan parties to reach a political solution "not imposed from the outside" to end the war in Afghanistan.

And Kirby - who was speaking in an interview with "Fox News" - confirmed that Washington would maintain a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.

growing concerns

In a reflection of the growing fears of clashes near Kandahar, India announced the evacuation of its staff from its consulate in the largest city in southern Afghanistan.

"The Consulate General (in Kandahar) has not closed its doors, but due to heavy fighting near Kandahar, its Indian staff have been evacuated for the time being," the Indian Foreign Ministry said.

She added, "It is a completely temporary measure, until the situation stabilizes. The consulate continues its work thanks to its local staff."

A security source in Kabul said that about 50 Indian embassy employees, including 6 diplomats, were evacuated from Kandahar, without knowing if their final destination was the Afghan capital or New Delhi.

Russia had also recently closed its consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, the most prominent city in the province of Balkh, bordering Uzbekistan, in a decision taken against the background of the battles in northern Afghanistan.

Beijing also called on its citizens to leave the country, and evacuated 210 at the beginning of July.

Call and reassurance

For its part, the Afghan Ministry of Refugees called on European countries to stop deporting migrants in the next three months, due to the "escalation of violence" and the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Ajmal Omar Shinwari tried to reassure Sunday, denying the Taliban's control of 85% of the country, as they claim, statements that are impossible to verify independently.

"It is not true. The battles are continuing in most of the areas" that the Taliban claim to have seized, he said, reiterating the call for young men to join the army, and explaining that the government has facilitated recruitment procedures.

This statement coincides with the mobilization of the government and warlords against the Taliban local militias, which raises the fear of a new civil war.

But Pakistan's ambassador to Kabul, Mansour Ahmed Khan, warned yesterday, Saturday, against the deployment of these militias, explaining that this would exacerbate the situation in the country and make way for al-Qaeda or the Islamic State.