AFGHANISTAN CRISIS - BIDEN: "No Regrets" over troop withdrawal as war rages - Strategic Analysis
By GEO´ Newsteam - Gibraltar. Additional Reporting by Dan Carter in Kabul
www.GEOPoliticalMatters.com
US President Joe Biden has said he does not regret his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, as the Taliban continue to take over cities on their undoubted prize - Kabul.
In the statement from the White House he told Afghan leaders that they needed to unite and "fight for their nation".
Violence has spiralled out of control already across the country now that US-led forces have all but withdrawn following 20 years of military operations with the Taliban having taken at least eight of the country's 34 provincial capitals. In their latest major advances, Taliban militants seized two more provincial capitals - Farah city and Pul-e-Khumri yesterday (Tuesday 100821).
More than 1,000 civilians have been killed amid fierce fighting between the Taliban and government forces in the past month, according to the UN. Its children's agency Unicef warned this week that atrocities being committed against children were growing "higher by the day".
Officials said the insurgents had raised their flag in the main square and on the governor's office in Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province, which is located about 200km (125 miles) from Kabul other gains by the Taliban this week include the key northern city of Kunduz. It is considered a gateway to mineral-rich provinces and is in a strategically important location close to the border with Tajikistan, which is used for the smuggling of opium and heroin. Click Here for our Full Analysis direct to your mailbox or smart device.
Image Credit: Stepnout via Flickr
