Afghanistan. The Taliban conquer Ghazni, 150 kilometers from Kabul

• Afghanistan, hundreds of soldiers surrendered in Kunduz.

  US predict fall Kabul within 90 days

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August 12, 2021 The Taliban captured Ghazni, 150 kilometers southwest of Kabul, the tenth provincial capital taken by militiamen in a week. 

"I can confirm that Ghazni fell into the hands of the Taliban this morning. They took control of key areas of the city: the governor's office, the police headquarters and the prison," said Nasir Ahmad Faqiri, head of the provincial council. by Ghazni, adding that fighting is still ongoing in parts of the city. 

Ghazni is the closest provincial capital to Kabul conquered by the Taliban since they launched their offensive in May, coinciding with the start of the withdrawal of foreign forces, which is expected to end by the end of August. 

According to the Washington Post, which cites American officials aware of the situation, the Biden administration is preparing for the fall of Kabul into the hands of the Taliban within a much shorter period than the 6-12 months previously foreseen in the light of the withdrawal of the US troops from the country. According to an official who wanted to remain anonymous, the military now estimates that the Afghan capital will fall within 90 days, while others believe that the defeat will take place within a month.  

Since Friday - writes AGI / AFP - the Taliban have taken Zaranj (south-west), Sheberghan (north), the stronghold of the notorious warlord Abdul Rashid Dostom, and above all Kunduz, the main city of the north-east, as well as others three northern capitals, Taloqan, Sar-e-Pul and Aibak. "The Taliban are now in the city, they have raised their flag in the central square and in the governor's office," Mamoor Ahmadzai, a member of parliament from Baghlan province, of which Pul-e Khumri is the capital, told AFP. , 200 km from Kabul.

Hundreds of Afghan soldiers who had withdrawn near Kunduz airport after the fall of the city in northeastern Afghanistan last weekend surrendered to the Taliban today, provincial councilor Amruddin Wali told AFP. "This morning hundreds of soldiers, policemen and members of the resistance forces surrendered to the Taliban with all their military equipment," he explained.

Insurgents also captured Farah, the capital of the province of the same name, on Tuesday after brief fighting. "They took the governor's office and police headquarters. The security forces withdrew to an army base," Provincial Councilor Shahla Abubar told AFP. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the insurgents, confirmed the capture of the two cities on Twitter.

The violence has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes across the country, with the Taliban accused of numerous atrocities in the areas they have conquered. "When there are two girls in a family, they take one to get married, when there are two boys, they take one to fight," Marwan, a young widow who fled from Taloqan, told AFP in a refugee park in Kabul. . Abdulmanan, a displaced person from Kunduz, said he saw the Taliban behead one of his children, without knowing "if his body was eaten by dogs or buried". About 359,000 people have been displaced to Afghanistan by fighting since the beginning of the year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

At least 183 civilians were killed and 1,181 injured, including children, in one month in the cities of Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, Herat (west) and Kunduz, the UN said Tuesday, adding that these were only the victims that could be documented. . The Taliban launched this offensive in May, at the beginning of the final withdrawal of American and foreign forces, but their advance has accelerated in recent days with the capture of several urban centers. The departure of the international forces must be completed by 31 August, 20 years after their intervention following the attacks of 11 September 2001 against the United States.

"I have no regrets about my decision to leave Afghanistan," US President Joe Biden said Tuesday. Afghans "must have the will to fight" and "must fight for themselves, for their nation". Washington is increasingly frustrated by the weakness of the Kabul army, which the Americans have trained, financed and equipped for years. US diplomat spokesman Ned Price said government forces were "vastly superior in number" to the Taliban and had "the potential to inflict greater casualties". "This idea that the advance of the Taliban cannot be stopped" is not the reality on the ground, he said.