Taliban seek to cut off Afghan population centres: Top US general

[Dalit]

as long as Afghanistan is able to preserve its airpower Taliban wont be bale to do much

people under estimate airpower but airpower is everything

USA has been fighting in last 5 years it is just been providing air power to afghan militia

LOL the Taliban are sweeping district after district. I wouldn't be too sure about your claims.

 

[IbnAbdullah]

Salaam

Quite a smart plan!!! Why bother to face the angry and hungry folks if you control the supply chain?!? They’re slowly strangling the terrorist Hindutva proxy thugs to the death…..

The momentum is with the Taliban….

The Taliban have learnt that wars are won through logistics management. They never fully fought the Soviets or the NATO forces head-on. You just wear them out - or rather you raise the costs and ultimately it was the cost of things that forced the two super powers out.

It is better to first exhaust the enemy instead of fighting them when they are at full capacity and strength.

I also think the Taliban understand that direct assault on cities would result in a lot of infrastructure and property damage. All of that would cost to rebuild as well as the cost of goodwill of the locals.

It is better to force the enemy out with minimal fighting to save (what appears at this point an inevitability) their own cities.

 

[ziaulislam]

LOL the Taliban are sweeping district after district. I wouldn't be too sure about your claims.

Because airforce is stretched thin
The focus is to preserve key centers

You cant exepect few 100 gunships and two dozen close support fighters to protect far areas

There focus will be largerly central afghanistan

they may even give up on khandhar
Kabul has 10x population of khandahar even though khandahar is second largest city

 

[cocomo]

According to recent revelations by members of Trump administration, Mark Milley the top general said that the top brass of US military was ready to resign if Trump pulled out American troops from Afghanistan. Afghanistan is key to America's new policy of encircling China. I won't be surprised if they refuse to leave.

 

[Dark1]

we must drag india directly into the conflict somehow

would like to see taliban defeat the greatest superpower

I see lost all hope in your own forces ? Ppl here are now basing their hopes on the Chinese and the ragtag Taliban. Haha. pretty shameful.

 

[Dalit]

I see lost all hope in your own forces ? Ppl here are now basing their hopes on the Chinese and the ragtag Taliban. Haha. pretty shameful.

When are you actually going to help your Afghan brothers and sisters? You barely take any Afghan refugees into India. You don't want to send your armed forces to protect Northern Alliance allies. Hollow words?

 

[BATMAN]

Taliban fighters have encircled 17 provincial capitals, outcome of Afghanistan peace talks uncertain, Mark Milley says.
View attachment 764335

For more follow the link below.

Taliban seek to cut off Afghan population centres: Top US general

Taliban fighters have encircled 17 provincial capitals, outcome of Afghanistan peace talks uncertain, Mark Milley says.

www.aljazeera.com

Shouldn't this be treated as Afghanistan's internal matter. No foreign nation should intervene.
Specially what's US stake in it, who don't even share border with Afghanistan!

 

[khansaheeb]

It hasn't been great for our SUPAPAWA friends to the East on all fronts lately.

It's time for Pakistan and China to heat up the borders with India just incase the Indians have any nefarious terrorism plans.

 

[BATMAN]

Turkey must not involve itself in afghanistan - nothing can be more damaging to their ties with the Turks. Taking control of kabul airport is like taliban taking over control of incirlik or izmir AF base without permission.

uncle sam is nobody's friend, turkey has enough experiences with uncle samite - she should understand.

Fully agree.. Besides providing some economic aid Turkey shall stay away from the $hit hole, that Afghanistan has become.
There was never anything init for US either, but quite clearly their aim was to destabilize Pakistan by constructing an anti Pakistan Afghanistan, and this is why ever since General Rahil Sharif left, fence project is going in reverse. Enough hint for the sensible.

 

[khansaheeb]

Afghanistan imposes near-nationwide curfew to curb sweeping Taliban offensive


Skip to main content
France 24 - International breaking news, top stories and headlines


Afghanistan imposes near-nationwide curfew to curb sweeping Taliban offensive
Issued on: 24/07/2021 - 15:25

A child is accompanied by elders as they walk along an alley in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 24, 2021. © Sajjad Hussain, AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES
3 min
Afghan authorities on Saturday imposed a night-time curfew across 31 of the country's 34 provinces to curb surging violence unleashed by a sweeping Taliban offensive in recent months, the interior ministry said.
ADVERTISING

The widespread Taliban offensive has seen the insurgents capture key border crossings, dozens of districts and encircle several provincial capitals since early May.
"To curb violence and limit the Taliban movements a night curfew has been imposed in 31 provinces across the country," except in Kabul, Panjshir and Nangarhar, the interior ministry said in a statement.
The curfew will be effective between 10:00 pm and 4:00 am local time, Ahmad Zia Zia, deputy interior ministry spokesman said in a separate audio statement to reporters.
With the withdrawal of American-led foreign forces all but complete, the resurgent Taliban now controls about half of Afghanistan's roughly 400 districts.

After a brief lull in violence during this week's Muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha, fighting continued again with the authorities claiming to have killed more than 260 Taliban fighters in the past 24 hours across several provinces.
Both the authorities and the Taliban exaggerate their claims, which cannot be independently verified.
US carries out air strikes even as military’s withdrawal continues
As the fighting raged in recent weeks, the US military was forced to carry out air strikes "to support" Afghan troops to repel Taliban offensives even as its overall withdrawal continues, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.
Experts say a lack of regular US air support since May to Afghan forces on the ground is a key factor in government troops losing a lot of territory to the Taliban.
Late on Friday, the Taliban warned the US military against carrying out air strikes.
"It is a clear violation of the signed agreement that will have consequences," the Taliban said in a statement, referring to a landmark deal between Washington and the insurgents last year that paved the way for the withdrawal of foreign forces.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe
The Taliban also warned the Afghan government against launching any offensive, saying the group will "strongly defend their territories and not remain in a defensive posture if the enemy insists upon war".
The Taliban had said earlier this week that its fighters were in a "defensive" posture to mark the Eid al-Adha holidays that ended on Thursday.
Earlier this week, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff General Mark Milley said the Taliban appear to have "strategic momentum" on the battlefield.
With the militants putting pressure on around half of the country's provincial capitals, Afghan troops are in the process of "consolidating their forces" to protect those major urban centres, Milley added.
(AFP)

• AFGHANISTAN
• TALIBAN
• US MILITARY
• ASHRAF GHANI

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Afghans who qualify for visas because of their work for the U.S. military have to make their way to Kabul even as the Taliban advances across the country.

www.nbcnews.com

'Our city is surrounded': Afghans must run a Taliban gauntlet to reach Kabul for U.S. evacuation
Afghans who qualify for visas because of their work for the U.S. military have to make their way to Kabul even as the Taliban advances across the country.

People chat in front of a book shop at a market in Kabul on July 22, 2021.Sajjad Hussein / AFP - Getty Images


July 24, 2021, 2:00 AM PDT
By Dan De Luce and Saphora Smith
WASHINGTON — Thousands of Afghans who are eligible for a U.S. evacuation out of the country now face one final life-and-death hurdle — getting to Kabul without being captured or killed by the Taliban.
The Biden administration this week emailed hundreds of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government telling them to prepare for evacuation to the U.S. in coming days, and has promised others will be flown to a third country soon. But the Afghans have to make their way to the capital of Kabul on their own in order to be evacuated.



Afghan allies of U.S. frantic for way out ahead of deadly Taliban advance
JULY 14, 202109:34

With the Taliban advancing against Afghan security forces in every corner of the country as U.S. troops withdraw, several Afghans who are eligible for a U.S. visa told NBC News they fear they will be stranded in far-flung towns and are struggling to find the money and means to get themselves and their families to Kabul.

“Our city is surrounded," said Mohammad, a 33-year-old IT technician in Kandahar who worked for the U.S. military. "It can fall to Taliban militants any time."
Afghans contacted by the U.S. government and offered flights to a military base in Virginia “have reached out to us begging for help because they do not have the resources to fly to Kabul,” said Chris Purdy, project manager for Veterans for American Ideals at Human Rights First.
“These Afghans know they cannot travel by land because the Taliban have captured the roads, and they know if they stay where they are then the Taliban will find them and kill them in their homes,” he said.
For the first U.S. evacuation expected next week, the Afghans were told to show up to Kabul for a final medical exam as soon as Monday, according to an email shared with NBC News and accounts from refugee advocacy groups.
But for Afghans outside of Kabul, getting to the capital requires reaching an airport safely for a local flight, and having enough money to pay for airfare. Dozens of Afghans have written to the nonprofit Association of War Allies saying they lacked the funds for the plane ticket or could not safely reach a regional airport, said Kim Staffieri, co-founder and executive director of the group.



U.S. Army veteran: I would not be alive were it not for my Afghan interpreter
JULY 22, 202106:07

“By not providing a way for those individuals to fly to Kabul to board their flight, the U.S. government is essentially abandoning them to their fate,” said Purdy of Human Rights First.
But senior State Department officials told reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. could not transport the Afghans to Kabul as the U.S. military no longer had a country-wide presence and had pulled out most of its troops in line with a Sept. 11 deadline for withdrawal.
“In order to come on an evacuation flight, they would have to get themselves to Kabul,” one of the senior officials said. “Obviously, we don't have national U.S. military presence. We don't have an ability to provide transportation for them.”
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the administration was undertaking something “that was never initially envisioned” as part of the visa program for Afghans who worked as interpreters, drivers or other roles.
“And so, we are doing all that we can, consistent with conditions on the ground, consistent with the fact that the safety and security of the American people and our service members, our diplomats, other U.S. government personnel is also a priority for us,” Price told reporters on Thursday.
'Pray for us'
Mohammad, the IT technician in Kandahar, asked not to be identified to avoid retribution by the Taliban. During his five-year stint working for the U.S. government, he said, he received three letters from the Taliban threatening to kill him if he didn’t quit his job working with the “infidel Americans.”
Refugee advocates vouched for his case, and he said he received an email from U.S. immigration authorities this week telling him he had been approved for a Special Immigrant Visa and needed to be ready to leave on a flight from Kabul to the U.S. within days.

Women wearing a burqa walk at a market in Kabul on July 21, 2021.Sajjad Hussein / AFP - Getty Images
But he said the Taliban have steadily gained ground in nearby districts, with the sound of gunfire and shelling keeping his family awake at night.
"We don't have any electricity here," he said. "We don’t have (running) water."
Mohammad said driving to Kabul was out of the question as the Taliban controlled parts of the route and could possibly stop his car and find documents revealing his association with the Americans.
After selling his possessions, Mohammad said he bought a plane ticket for $85 to fly the 300 miles from Kandahar to Kabul on Saturday. He said he didn’t have enough money to pay for his wife and six children to fly as well, so they will travel by bus but without any documents linking them to the U.S. For the moment, the road to the airport is still open, and he has asked a trusted friend to drive him to catch his flight. He said taking a taxi was too risky.
In the meantime, Mohammad will have to bid farewell to his mother, who did not qualify for a visa, and his brother, who also worked with the Americans but whose U.S. visa application is still in limbo, he said.
“I can't explain my pain. I can't tell you with words,” he said. “Pray for us.”



Biden administration to begin evacuation flights for Afghans who helped the U.S. in late July
JULY 14, 202101:42

Another potential evacuee, who did not want to be named because he was afraid of being targeted by the Taliban, said his paperwork for the Special Immigrant Visa program had been approved and he was waiting for a visa interview — one of the final steps before being cleared for a U.S. visa.
The 22-year-old from Jalalabad said he worked as an interpreter with a U.S. artillery unit between 2018 and 2020 in Laghman province. He said he translated for U.S. troops who were advising the Afghan National Army.

At first he tried to keep his job secret, he said, telling friends and relatives he worked as a pharmacist but slowly, knowledge of his real occupation spread through his hometown from cousin to cousin, friend to friend.

 

[Khanlalajaan]

They need to disable Kabul airport to really put the pressure on the imported Kabul government...

imported kabul gov? What is the Islamabad gov? Imported from UK

Fully agree.. Besides providing some economic aid Turkey shall stay away from the $hit hole, that Afghanistan has become.
There was never anything init for US either, but quite clearly their aim was to destabilize Pakistan by constructing an anti Pakistan Afghanistan, and this is why ever since General Rahil Sharif left, fence project is going in reverse. Enough hint for the sensible.

US aim in Afghanistan was to destabilize PK? Lol what kind of bs is that. If that were true then why did pk take aid money from Americans, give them a base and routes into Afghanistan?

if you were honest you’d say Americans opinion changed once they realized PK was hiding OBL and that’s when pk had to run to the feet of China and Russia

 

[khansaheeb]

Turanopak empire will rise soon all Central Asia countries have access to sea ports through Turkey n Pakistan.its like mini European Union.tailban are smart guys from 80 onwards they are fighting with super powers .War is their business,they know what they are doing.

and Iran.

 

[CIA Mole]

Afghanistan imposes near-nationwide curfew to curb sweeping Taliban offensive


Skip to main content
France 24 - International breaking news, top stories and headlines


Afghanistan imposes near-nationwide curfew to curb sweeping Taliban offensive
Issued on: 24/07/2021 - 15:25

A child is accompanied by elders as they walk along an alley in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 24, 2021. © Sajjad Hussain, AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES
3 min
Afghan authorities on Saturday imposed a night-time curfew across 31 of the country's 34 provinces to curb surging violence unleashed by a sweeping Taliban offensive in recent months, the interior ministry said.
ADVERTISING

The widespread Taliban offensive has seen the insurgents capture key border crossings, dozens of districts and encircle several provincial capitals since early May.
"To curb violence and limit the Taliban movements a night curfew has been imposed in 31 provinces across the country," except in Kabul, Panjshir and Nangarhar, the interior ministry said in a statement.
The curfew will be effective between 10:00 pm and 4:00 am local time, Ahmad Zia Zia, deputy interior ministry spokesman said in a separate audio statement to reporters.
With the withdrawal of American-led foreign forces all but complete, the resurgent Taliban now controls about half of Afghanistan's roughly 400 districts.

After a brief lull in violence during this week's Muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha, fighting continued again with the authorities claiming to have killed more than 260 Taliban fighters in the past 24 hours across several provinces.
Both the authorities and the Taliban exaggerate their claims, which cannot be independently verified.
US carries out air strikes even as military’s withdrawal continues
As the fighting raged in recent weeks, the US military was forced to carry out air strikes "to support" Afghan troops to repel Taliban offensives even as its overall withdrawal continues, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.
Experts say a lack of regular US air support since May to Afghan forces on the ground is a key factor in government troops losing a lot of territory to the Taliban.
Late on Friday, the Taliban warned the US military against carrying out air strikes.
"It is a clear violation of the signed agreement that will have consequences," the Taliban said in a statement, referring to a landmark deal between Washington and the insurgents last year that paved the way for the withdrawal of foreign forces.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe
The Taliban also warned the Afghan government against launching any offensive, saying the group will "strongly defend their territories and not remain in a defensive posture if the enemy insists upon war".
The Taliban had said earlier this week that its fighters were in a "defensive" posture to mark the Eid al-Adha holidays that ended on Thursday.
Earlier this week, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff General Mark Milley said the Taliban appear to have "strategic momentum" on the battlefield.
With the militants putting pressure on around half of the country's provincial capitals, Afghan troops are in the process of "consolidating their forces" to protect those major urban centres, Milley added.
(AFP)

• AFGHANISTAN
• TALIBAN
• US MILITARY
• ASHRAF GHANI

RELATED CONTENT
Afghan government and Taliban to meet again after inconclusive talks
Rockets land near Afghan presidential palace as country marks start of Eid al-Adha
FOCUS
Afghanistan: Former military interpreters live in fear of return to Taliban rule

Afghans promised U.S. evacuation face final obstacle: Getting to Kabul

Afghans who qualify for visas because of their work for the U.S. military have to make their way to Kabul even as the Taliban advances across the country.

www.nbcnews.com

'Our city is surrounded': Afghans must run a Taliban gauntlet to reach Kabul for U.S. evacuation
Afghans who qualify for visas because of their work for the U.S. military have to make their way to Kabul even as the Taliban advances across the country.

People chat in front of a book shop at a market in Kabul on July 22, 2021.Sajjad Hussein / AFP - Getty Images


July 24, 2021, 2:00 AM PDT
By Dan De Luce and Saphora Smith
WASHINGTON — Thousands of Afghans who are eligible for a U.S. evacuation out of the country now face one final life-and-death hurdle — getting to Kabul without being captured or killed by the Taliban.
The Biden administration this week emailed hundreds of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government telling them to prepare for evacuation to the U.S. in coming days, and has promised others will be flown to a third country soon. But the Afghans have to make their way to the capital of Kabul on their own in order to be evacuated.



Afghan allies of U.S. frantic for way out ahead of deadly Taliban advance
JULY 14, 202109:34

With the Taliban advancing against Afghan security forces in every corner of the country as U.S. troops withdraw, several Afghans who are eligible for a U.S. visa told NBC News they fear they will be stranded in far-flung towns and are struggling to find the money and means to get themselves and their families to Kabul.

“Our city is surrounded," said Mohammad, a 33-year-old IT technician in Kandahar who worked for the U.S. military. "It can fall to Taliban militants any time."
Afghans contacted by the U.S. government and offered flights to a military base in Virginia “have reached out to us begging for help because they do not have the resources to fly to Kabul,” said Chris Purdy, project manager for Veterans for American Ideals at Human Rights First.
“These Afghans know they cannot travel by land because the Taliban have captured the roads, and they know if they stay where they are then the Taliban will find them and kill them in their homes,” he said.
For the first U.S. evacuation expected next week, the Afghans were told to show up to Kabul for a final medical exam as soon as Monday, according to an email shared with NBC News and accounts from refugee advocacy groups.
But for Afghans outside of Kabul, getting to the capital requires reaching an airport safely for a local flight, and having enough money to pay for airfare. Dozens of Afghans have written to the nonprofit Association of War Allies saying they lacked the funds for the plane ticket or could not safely reach a regional airport, said Kim Staffieri, co-founder and executive director of the group.



U.S. Army veteran: I would not be alive were it not for my Afghan interpreter
JULY 22, 202106:07

“By not providing a way for those individuals to fly to Kabul to board their flight, the U.S. government is essentially abandoning them to their fate,” said Purdy of Human Rights First.
But senior State Department officials told reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. could not transport the Afghans to Kabul as the U.S. military no longer had a country-wide presence and had pulled out most of its troops in line with a Sept. 11 deadline for withdrawal.
“In order to come on an evacuation flight, they would have to get themselves to Kabul,” one of the senior officials said. “Obviously, we don't have national U.S. military presence. We don't have an ability to provide transportation for them.”
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the administration was undertaking something “that was never initially envisioned” as part of the visa program for Afghans who worked as interpreters, drivers or other roles.
“And so, we are doing all that we can, consistent with conditions on the ground, consistent with the fact that the safety and security of the American people and our service members, our diplomats, other U.S. government personnel is also a priority for us,” Price told reporters on Thursday.
'Pray for us'
Mohammad, the IT technician in Kandahar, asked not to be identified to avoid retribution by the Taliban. During his five-year stint working for the U.S. government, he said, he received three letters from the Taliban threatening to kill him if he didn’t quit his job working with the “infidel Americans.”
Refugee advocates vouched for his case, and he said he received an email from U.S. immigration authorities this week telling him he had been approved for a Special Immigrant Visa and needed to be ready to leave on a flight from Kabul to the U.S. within days.

Women wearing a burqa walk at a market in Kabul on July 21, 2021.Sajjad Hussein / AFP - Getty Images
But he said the Taliban have steadily gained ground in nearby districts, with the sound of gunfire and shelling keeping his family awake at night.
"We don't have any electricity here," he said. "We don’t have (running) water."
Mohammad said driving to Kabul was out of the question as the Taliban controlled parts of the route and could possibly stop his car and find documents revealing his association with the Americans.
After selling his possessions, Mohammad said he bought a plane ticket for $85 to fly the 300 miles from Kandahar to Kabul on Saturday. He said he didn’t have enough money to pay for his wife and six children to fly as well, so they will travel by bus but without any documents linking them to the U.S. For the moment, the road to the airport is still open, and he has asked a trusted friend to drive him to catch his flight. He said taking a taxi was too risky.
In the meantime, Mohammad will have to bid farewell to his mother, who did not qualify for a visa, and his brother, who also worked with the Americans but whose U.S. visa application is still in limbo, he said.
“I can't explain my pain. I can't tell you with words,” he said. “Pray for us.”



Biden administration to begin evacuation flights for Afghans who helped the U.S. in late July
JULY 14, 202101:42

Another potential evacuee, who did not want to be named because he was afraid of being targeted by the Taliban, said his paperwork for the Special Immigrant Visa program had been approved and he was waiting for a visa interview — one of the final steps before being cleared for a U.S. visa.
The 22-year-old from Jalalabad said he worked as an interpreter with a U.S. artillery unit between 2018 and 2020 in Laghman province. He said he translated for U.S. troops who were advising the Afghan National Army.

At first he tried to keep his job secret, he said, telling friends and relatives he worked as a pharmacist but slowly, knowledge of his real occupation spread through his hometown from cousin to cousin, friend to friend.

this is what happens when you collude with foreign invaders

 

[BATMAN]

It's time for Pakistan and China to heat up the borders with India just incase the Indians have any nefarious terrorism plans.

One recently retired Pakistan army's lt. general (missing his name) said some thing similar recently.

 

[Clutch]

imported kabul gov? What is the Islamabad gov? Imported from UK

Nope. I voted for it. So I know it's not.