April 20, 2024

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One hundred kilometers from Kabul comes a new provincial capital in the hands of the Taliban

A dangerous Taliban attack is approaching near the capital, Kabul. Islamic rebels now control the provincial capital, Kasni, of the same name, 140 kilometers southwest of the Afghan capital. Ghajini provincial council chairman Nasir Ahmed Fakhri confirms this, quoted by Agencies France-Presse (AFP) “Essential” From the city Fell into the hands of the Taliban this morning. They controlled key areas: the governor’s office, the police headquarters, and the prison.

Amanullah Kamrani, a member of the same council quoted by the Associated Press (AP), confirms that there are pockets of protest, including the governor’s house. The Taliban, on the other hand, claimed responsibility for capturing the city by publishing videos and photos online.

In one week, they captured ten of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals. Ghajini is very close to Kabul. Aside from a new military victory advertised, it offers the Taliban an operational advantage: they approach the capital from the north, after defeating the city of Pol-e Komri on Tuesday, and now from the south. Controlling Ghajini allows Kabul to influence the axis connecting Kandahar, the second largest Afghan city in the south.

Read the analysis: Pakistan’s shadow behind the Taliban’s advance in Afghanistan

If the Taliban attack continues at this rate, the city of Kabul will be under their control within thirty days, and some across Afghanistan in a few months, according to a study by the US Secret Service, cited by the Associated Press.

On the diplomatic front, the regime of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has been increasingly calling for help in managing the humanitarian catastrophe. Now tens of thousands of people have taken refuge in camps across the country to escape the fighting that targets urban centers.

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Afghanistan will no longer hide a particular resentment against the United States, which has been in the country for twenty years, but its last elements must leave by the end of the month. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, August 10 Confident “Don’t regret anything [sa] Results “.

Read Encryption: In trouble with the Taliban, Kabul condemns the abandonment of its US guide

Le Monde with AFP and AP