The Taliban also occupied Afghanistan’s second most populous city, Kandahar, MTI writes. A Taliban spokesman announced at dawn on Friday that their forces had “fully occupied Kandahar.”
A local resident told AFP that Afghan army forces withdrew from the city. On Thursday, two regional capitals, the cities of Ghazni and Herat, fell to the extremists.
Radical Islamists currently control nearly two-thirds of the South Asian country’s territory. The British news agency quoted Reuters, that the Taliban may encircle Kabul within thirty days and occupy Kabul within ninety days.
The security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly since the withdrawal of international forces began in May.
There is a ring around Kabul
He said Thomas Rottig, An analyst at the Afghanistan Analysts Network think-tank in the Afghan capital shortly after the fall of Ghazni. As he said, the Taliban have two ways forward: attack Kabul directly, or wait for the government to collapse. He added that given the military situation, one can only hope for a negotiated settlement, which will prevent further casualties and destruction.
Meanwhile, there is growing suspicion among diplomats that the Taliban political team involved in peace talks in Doha will have a say in the situation alongside the military leaders.
