Taliban take Kandahar, Herat in major Afghanistan offensive

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Taliban take Kandahar, Herat in major Afghanistan offensive

By TAMEEM AKHGAR, RAHIM FAIEZ and JON GAMBRELL
August 12, 2021

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban captured two major Afghan cities, the country’s second- and third-largest after Kabul, and a strategic provincial capital on Thursday, further squeezing the embattled government just weeks before the end of the American military mission in Afghanistan.

The seizure of Kandahar and Herat marks the biggest prizes yet for the Taliban, who have taken 12 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals as part of a weeklong blitz.

The capture of the city of Ghazni, meanwhile, cuts off a crucial highway linking the Afghan capital, Kabul, with the country’s southern provinces, all part of an insurgent push some 20 years after U.S. and NATO troops invaded and ousted the Taliban government.

While Kabul itself isn’t directly under threat yet, the losses and the battles elsewhere further tighten the grip of a resurgent Taliban, who are estimated to now hold over two-thirds of the country and continue to press their offensive.

With security rapidly deteriorating, the United States planned to send in 3,000 troops to help evacuate some personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Separately, Britain said about 600 troops would be deployed on a short-term basis to support British nationals leaving the country.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-afghanistan-taliban-26d485963b7a0d9f2107afcbc38f239a

[BeyondGeography]

1. I'm afraid Biden is going to take on some water here

Buckets even.

He was touting the Afghan govt manpower advantage a month ago but that falls apart in a hurry when the Taliban captures towns and frees all the prisons/prisoners. He has gone from confidence in the Afghan govt to threatening to withhold US aid to the Taliban if they harm our embassy in the space of a month.