The Taliban announced its continuation of its expansion in central and western Afghanistan, despite the killing of many of its fighters in Kandahar, and a government official considered that the withdrawal of US forces created a security gap, while the US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad discussed in Doha the Qatari role in the peace talks.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said - on his Twitter account - that Taliban militants took control of 5 Afghan forces checkpoints in the Kamard district of Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan, and that a number of Afghan forces withdrew after the clashes.
He also confirmed the movement's control of two major military bases, and its seizure of ammunition and weapons of Afghan soldiers after they fled.
#Al-Fath:
Important: The people of Shabashtah and Dahn of Shabashtah and Sulai Qamard, Wilayat of Bamiyan Dashman Mazdour, have been driven by Mujahideen campaigns like 2 Qaraqah Bozorg and 5 Posts fleeing Kurds.
There is a large arrangement of squares under the control of the Mujahideen, Dramed and Mardam, the oppressed, and the evil of Dashman Wahshi, Yaftand escaped.
— Zabihullah (..Zabihullah m) (@Zabehulah_M33) July 12, 2021
An official in the Afghan Interior confirmed - to Al-Jazeera - the killing of an intelligence official of the Taliban movement in an operation carried out by Afghan forces in Logar province, south of the capital, Kabul.
Al-Jazeera correspondent in Afghanistan had quoted a security source in the Afghan Interior as saying that dead and wounded were killed in the detonation of an explosive device planted on the side of the road in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Defense also reported that 29 Taliban militants were killed in a raid carried out by Afghan forces in the southern province of Kandahar, a day after about 100 Taliban fighters were killed by air strikes in the Tount district.
After night attacks by the Taliban on areas in Kandahar near the border with Pakistan, the Special Forces soldiers were called to confront them, but they discovered that the Taliban fighters withdrew, leaving behind a few civilians and wounded soldiers.
Reuters quoted military officials as saying that the Taliban combines direct attacks on checkpoints, villages and cities with hit-and-run tactics, which lead to avoiding casualties, and that the withdrawal of fighters from several areas casts doubt on the movement's claims that it controls 85% of the country.
Al-Jazeera correspondent also quoted officials that the Taliban has not yet controlled any of the capitals of the 34 states, which reduces the importance of its expansion.
In the same context, the Afghan National Security Council Adviser Hamdullah Mohib said that al-Qaeda helps the Taliban movement in its war against Afghan forces, and that the relationship between the organization and the movement has never been cut off.
The adviser added that the withdrawal of US forces created a security gap, and that the government was trying to overcome it soon.
Peace talks
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed with the US envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad the latest developments in the region, especially in Afghanistan.
The Foreign Ministry added that during the meeting - in Doha - the State of Qatar's commitment to encouraging Afghan dialogue and working to facilitate peace talks until a just and lasting political settlement is reached in Afghanistan was reviewed.
In a related context, a source in the Afghan government's negotiation delegation told Al Jazeera that Qatar played an important role in the negotiations, and expressed his hope that Doha and the United Nations would play a mediating role between the two parties.
In turn, EU Commissioner for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell said, "We propose the establishment of an international contact group to support Afghanistan in the post-withdrawal of foreign forces."
With his mission over, General Scott Miller (left) shakes hands with the Afghan Defense Minister on Sunday (Reuters)
McKenzie in Kabul
On the other hand, General Kenneth McKenzie arrived in the Afghan capital to take command of the mission of foreign forces in Afghanistan, before the official end of the US military mission at the end of next August, the date set by President Joe Biden for the withdrawal of his country's forces.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani discussed with an American delegation led by McKenzie bilateral relations after the withdrawal of American forces, and a presidential statement said that the United States stressed the continuation of support for Afghan forces, especially the air force.
McKenzie had warned that the Taliban were seeking a military solution, and told reporters that state capitals were at risk, but indicated that the Afghan security forces intended to defend them vigorously.
McKenzie succeeds General Scott Miller, who took command of US and foreign forces in Afghanistan in 2018.
Border closures
In Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed his country's fear of igniting a civil war in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has continued to close its border with Afghanistan since last Tuesday to prevent the spread of the Corona virus, while the Al-Jazeera camera monitored limited movement at the "Tarkham" crossing, which is open for hours daily, during which Pakistani citizens are allowed to return from Afghanistan.
The movement of goods was greatly affected by the closure of the borders, as a number of trucks were seen parked on both sides of the road connecting the two countries.
Traders in the border area did not rule out that the Pakistani government's decision to close the borders to prevent the influx of Afghan refugees, to escape the escalation of clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban near the border crossings, where a spokesman for the Pakistani armed forces warned against the influx of refugees into his country.