Reports from inside Afghanistan this morning are that the Taliban has now captured five provincial capitals in the last three days. The three latest are Kunduz and Sar-e-Pul, capitals of Kunduz and Sar-e-Pul provinces, and Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province, all in northern Afghanistan. In southern and southwestern Afghanistan, Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar are all reported to still be under siege though Afghan security forces in Herat are reported to be having a modicum of success in fighting off the Taliban. According to an overnight report in the New York Times, U.S. air strikes, though intensified over the last few days, are still less than what the U.S. military would have done under similar circumstances a few years ago, such as in 2015 and 2016 when U.S.-led assaults defeated Taliban efforts to take and hold Kunduz.
Provincial leaders are blaming the government for the failure to successfully defend their provinces. Some lawmakers from Sar-e-Pul said the government’s inattention led to the fall of the city and the loss of dozens of large pieces of military equipment to the Taliban. “The inefficient officials in Sar-e-Pul made the situation worse and provided the grounds for collapse. I believe that Sar-e-Pul collapsed due to a deal,” said Sayed Hayatullah Alemi, an MP from Sar-e-Pul, reported TOLOnews. Government buildings, including the governor’s compound, in Kunduz have all reportedly fallen to the Taliban and fighting has intensified on the streets. “The security agencies, especially the Defense Ministry, paid no attention and did not provide support,” said Nilofar Jalali Kofi, an MP from Kunduz.
Both the Taliban and officials in Kabul are reporting that at least 20 civilians were killed in the fighting in the last 48 hours. Health officials in Lashkar Gah said many of the civilians killed were caught in the fighting. “Most of them were killed or wounded in the crossfire,” said Sher Mohammad Shakir, head of the public health directorate of Helmand.
