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At least 19 people were killed and 22 wounded on Monday when armed men stormed Afghanistan’s biggest university in an attack that ended only after hours of fighting with security forces, officials said. According to Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian, “Three attackers were involved." Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramerz said most of those killed were students. The Taliban has denied its involvement in the attack.
Al Jazeera's Victoria Gatenby reports.

Even the Taliban are surprised at how fast they're advancing in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — The Taliban are advancing at lightning speed across Afghanistan as U.S. troops withdraw. They now control a third of the country, are fighting for control of 42 percent more — and may even be slowing their advance on purpose.

A Taliban commander in Ghazni province told NBC News that he and fellow fighters were surprised at the speed of their advance and had avoided capturing some targets so as not to run afoul of the U.S.

According to Afghan media reports, eyewitness accounts and statements from local Afghan officials, the Taliban are advancing in rural areas and near Kabul. They now hold almost twice as much of Afghanistan as they did just two months ago, raising fresh doubts about whether the Afghan government can survive once U.S. forces depart by Sept. 11.

Since May 1, days after President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the Taliban have captured 69 of the country's 407 districts, including territory in northern provinces once seen as off-limits for the insurgency and a stronghold for the government, according to Bill Roggio, editor of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies' Long War Journal. The Taliban now hold 142 districts, and are fighting for control of about 170 more.

"The Taliban are putting significant pressure on the Afghan government by their operations in the north," said Roggio, who keeps a running tally of how much territory the Taliban controls.

By seizing ground in far-flung areas in the north, including a border crossing with Tajikistan, the Taliban are forcing the Afghan security forces to balance stretched resources as they try to hold off the insurgents elsewhere in the country, including in provinces near the capital Kabul, he said.

"The Taliban has nearly doubled the number of districts it controls, has captured key areas and military bases, and demoralized segments of the Afghan security forces and the government," Roggio said.

In the country's north, the Taliban have taken control of more than 40 districts since the start of May, including a key district in Kunduz province on Monday, allowing them to encircle the provincial capital.

In a war that has often been a slow grind, the situation on the ground has changed on a daily — sometimes hourly basis — in recent weeks. Some Afghan government units have abandoned their weapons and vehicles without a major fight, as local officials reportedly negotiated surrender agreements with the Taliban.
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Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group is not punishing or capturing government soldiers who surrender. . Such an approach would represent a change in tactics for the insurgency, which has been accused by human rights groups of executing and torturing captured troops.

"We neither imprison them nor punish the Afghan security forces who surrender peacefully. We let them go home, those who lay down arms and don't resist," the spokesman said.

Hundreds of Afghan troops fled into neighbouring Tajikistan as the Taliban's march through northern Afghanistan gained momentum with the fall of 10 districts in Badakhshan province.

The militants on Sunday night appeared poised to move on the provincial capital, as well as the centre of neighbouring Takhar province, after demoralised and poorly equipped Afghan troops either surrendered or retreated.

More than 300 Afghan military personnel crossed the border to escape the advance, Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security said.

Others fled to Badakhshan's capital of Faizabad, where unconfirmed video footage shared on social media appeared to show crowds of people thronging a commercial plane leaving the city.
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"Unfortunately, the majority of the districts were left to the Taliban without any fight," Mohib-ul Rahman, a provincial council member, told AP. In the last three days, 10 districts fell to the Taliban, eight without a fight, he said.
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Dozens of rural districts have fallen since Joe Biden began the closing stages of America's withdrawal from Afghanistan, leaving the Taliban to capture large amounts of arms and equipment.

All major towns and cities remain under government control, but the speed of the collapse has alarmed Washington and its Nato allies, who fear it will become an unstoppable cascade of Taliban victories.
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The Taliban on Sunday also took the district of Panjwayi in Kandahar, where government forces have been under siege in the district centre for weeks.

The Pentagon has said it will continue to give funding and advice to the Afghan forces once US troops leave, as well as fix its small fleet of planes and helicopters. But the swift Taliban advances have led US intelligence assessments to cut the government's chances of survival, with analysts now predicting the government could fall within six to 12 months.

The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee hammered President Joe Biden on Sunday for his withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said that the Taliban is poised to threaten the stability of the Afghan government and Biden will be responsible for the looming violence and repression left in the Taliban’s wake.

“We’re going dark in Afghanistan, and there’s going to be consequences long term for this,” McCaul said on “Fox News Sunday. “President Biden [is] going to own these images.”

As American troops withdraw from Afghanistan, the Taliban have quickly moved in to abandoned military bases and are collecting the treasure of goods left behind.

Sky's Alex Crawford gets an exclusive look inside one of the seized military bases.

I'd Dump the Israelis Tomorrow --Ex-CIA Michael Scheuer Tells Congress

House Homeland Security Committee on October 9, 2013

Afghan Taliban seize border crossing with Pakistan in major advance
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"The strong resistance of the Mujahideen and its people forced the enemy to leave this area. As you can see, that's the Islamic Emirate flag, the flag that thousands of Mujahideen shed their blood to raise."
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The Taliban have in recent days seized other major border crossings, in Herat, Farah and Kunduz provinces in the north and west. Control of border posts allows the Taliban to collect revenue, said Shafiqullah Attai, chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment in the capital Kabul.

The Islamist militants, who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until their ouster in 2001 by U.S. bombing following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, have since been fighting to topple the Western-backed government in Kabul.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai hinted at a desire to establish formal relations with Israel.

Afghanistan enters a critical phase as US and NATO troops withdraw from the country. TRT World speaks to Suhail Shaheen, spokesperson and member of the Taliban negotiating team.
#Taliban #SuhailShaheen #Afghanistan

first name
1 week ago
Taliban'S commitment Is Commitment.
US Commitment is Joke..

AVE
1 week ago
Taliban will inevitably overthrow the Afghan government, cuz it's too weak and depended too much on U.S support.

Mamadou Salane
5 days ago
I need to be stubborn, confident, committed, and fearless in my life like these Taliban are.

ShiiShani
1 week ago
It's very interesting to hear both sides. Every side should be able & allowed to speak for themselves. I hope Afghanistan soon enters a new time of peace, wealth & prosparity. I love you people.