As Taliban tightens its grip, Afghan President stresses troop remobilization

Faced with the most menacing threat of the advancing Taliban, poised barely 80 km from capital Kabul, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on August 14 that the remobilization of the country’s armed forces was a “top priority,” media reports said.

The resurgent group on August 14 captured Logar province, located less than 80 km south of Kabul, media reports said. The insurgents also took over the main radio station in Kandahar and renamed it the Voice of Sharia, or Islamic law.

“In the current situation, the remobilization of our security and defence forces is our top priority, and serious steps are being taken in this regard,” he said in a televised speech.

Also read: Can’t have any military role in Afghanistan: Taliban warns India

Two days back in the midst of bitter battle for the important city of Mazar-e-Sharif, Ghani had replaced its army chief, General Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai. He had only been in the post since June.

Ghani in his speech on August 14 gave no hint he would resign or take responsibility for the current situation, but said “consultations” were taking place to try and end the war.

“As a historic mission, I will not let the imposed war on people cause more deaths,” he said, appearing sombre, sitting before an Afghan flag.

“Therefore, I have started extensive consultations inside the government with the elders, political leaders, representatives of people, and international partners on achieving a reasonable and certain political solution in which the peace and stability of Afghanistan are envisaged.”

Also read: US sends fresh troops to Afghanistan. Will Biden extend the deadline now?

Kabul has effectively become a besieged last-stand for government forces who have offered little or no resistance elsewhere.

But Ghani praised the forces “who have defended the nation courageously and showed strong determination”.

The only other cities of any significance not to be taken by the Taliban were Jalalabad, Gardez and Khost — Pashtun-dominated and unlikely to offer much resistance now.

In Kabul, US embassy staff were ordered to begin shredding and burning sensitive material, as the first American troops from a planned 3,000-strong re-deployment started arriving to secure the airport and oversee evacuations.

(With agency inputs)