Afghanistan: authorities impose curfew in most of the country
A member of the Afghan police at a checkpoint outside Kabul on July 13, 2021. REUTERS - MOHAMMAD ISMAIL
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Faced for two months with an all-out offensive by the Taliban, the Afghan authorities on Saturday declared a night curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. throughout the country, with the exception of three provinces.
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The Afghan Interior Ministry said this Saturday, July 24, that a curfew was decreed in 31 of the country's 34 provinces, "in
order to stem the violence and limit the movements of the Taliban
". This curfew will be in effect from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., with no time limit in its application. Only the provinces of Kabul, Panchir and Nagarhar will not be affected.
According to a member of the Afghan security services interviewed by our correspondent in Kabul,
Sonia Ghezali,
the objective of this curfew is to prevent the Taliban from moving at night and taking advantage of the darkness to steal weapons, ammunition, stocking up, hiding in strategic places to have the advantage in battles with government forces.
Can this curfew still make a difference to the Taliban fighters who seem to have the advantage militarily? While the final withdrawal of foreign troops is now almost complete, the Taliban have indeed taken over
a large part of the territory
, in particular by occupying large rural areas, but also important border posts with neighboring countries (Iran, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan). ). Only the main axes and the major provincial capitals are still under government control.
According to Aman, an engineer working in Badakhshan (northeast), this curfew is insufficient.
He witnessed the capture of four districts of this border province of Tajikistan.
Even before the Taliban launched their attacks, he said, soldiers, police and local authorities
fled their posts
.
Aman cannot explain these desertions which suggest, he says, that the government has, in some districts, left the way open to the Taliban.
Counteroffensive
The authorities have announced the launch of a military counter-offensive in some fifteen provinces to regain ground from the Taliban.
According to the Defense Ministry quoted by AFP, the army even took over a strategic district of the province of Herat, bordering Iran.
Even if the
American troops
are practically all parts of the territory, the chief of staff of the American army nevertheless specified that it had provided air support to this counterattack.
Support denounced by the Taliban, who warned President Ashraf Ghani that he should be held responsible for the consequences of these operations.
"
During this six-month period, the responsibility for any military developments will rest with the leaders of the government in Kabul
," Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban, told AFP
.
The fighter
's def
endront hotly their territories and will not remain in defensive position if the enemy insists on the war
. "
In recent months, the Taliban have claimed to be in favor of a “
political agreement
” to end the conflict, and have tried to display a more modern and moderate image, especially vis-à-vis abroad.
But since the start of their offensive, the government has accused them of atrocities.
► See also: Taliban offensive in Afghanistan: wounded civilians transported to Kabul
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