Six more Afghan districts fall into the hands of Taliban – Photos & VIDEO

Defence Redefined

Published on 15/06/2021 at 08:36

Afghan government forces have abandoned or have been ousted from six more districts in the past 24 hours as Islamist Taliban insurgents continue to gain ground.

These were one district in Herat province, one in Gore, one in Sar-i-Pul, one in Zambul and two in Farah.

Government forces, who had been under siege for some time in the center of these regions, either withdrew and joined other forces or withdrew from their areas with air support, according to officials. In some cases, they left their equipment and ammunition behind.

Also read: Taliban threaten foreign powers if the May 1 withdrawal deadline is not met

According to local officials, some of the retreating soldiers are missing.

In addition to the six districts that fell, another in Kunduz province was occupied by rebels for several hours on Monday, but was recaptured by government forces later.

Islamist insurgents record a series of military victories and territorial conquests. Since the official withdrawal of US and NATO forces on May 1, at least 23 regions have fallen into the hands of the Taliban.

Afghanistan consists of 34 provinces and about 400 regions. The local self-government of the centers of these regions is not as structured as in the provinces

A source close to the government commented that the withdrawal from regions that are not considered of strategic importance is intended to prevent key cities and regions from falling into the hands of the guerrillas. However, concerns are growing about whether the forces will be able to handle the situation after the withdrawal of foreign forces.

Last week, the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) in Afghanistan announced that more than 50 percent of US troops had been withdrawn.

According to the UN, the Taliban had been able to occupy five districts last year, but four of which were recaptured by government forces within days.

Although the formal withdrawal of US troops should be completed by 9/11 – it may be completed even earlier – by order of US President Joe Biden, who sees it as “time” to end the longest-running war in which his country has ever been involved, Pentagon officials have made no secret of the fact that plans are being made for the possible return of the US military, if deemed necessary.

Also read: Afghanistan | Taliban abduct at least 20 civilians