As the Taliban’s offensive continues across Afghanistan, the Siwan network reported that the US Embassy in Kabul had instructed its staff to destroy classified equipment and information.
According to Euronews, according to the same report the decision comes as a US diplomat says one intelligence agency estimates that Kabul could be completely besieged in the next seven days or even 72 hours.
CNN says US embassy staff have also been tasked with destroying equipment that may be misused for propaganda purposes, including US flags and government and military insignia.
The United States is also evacuating many of its embassy staff from the war-torn capital, despite sending more troops to Afghanistan to evacuate its citizens and ensure continued diplomatic activity.
The fall of more cities
One after another, the provincial capitals of Afghanistan are being taken over by the Taliban. In the latest developments, in addition to the major cities of Herat and Kandahar, which fell last night, according to media reports, the Taliban also took control of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, and Firuzkuh, the capital of Ghor province.
Taliban forces have been able to quickly take control of more than 10 provincial capitals in the past week. The move comes as foreign troops are due to withdraw completely from Afghanistan in two weeks.
While Kabul has not yet been directly threatened, fears of a fall in the capital are growing among the city’s citizens. However, according to the latest US military intelligence assessments, Kabul may come under pressure from Taliban forces in the next 30 days, and if current trends continue, they could take full control of Afghanistan in the next few months.
According to the Associated Press, the Taliban are now estimated to control more than two-thirds of the country.
Thousands of residents of occupied Afghan cities have fled their homes and fled.
Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, was chosen as the new stronghold of the government and the people’s forces led by Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohammad Noor.
The two well-known figures and longtime rivals on Friday vowed to put aside their differences in standing up to the Taliban and coordinate so that history does not blame them, and if they break the alliance, they will be declared national traitors.
Dostum and Noor, along with a number of other well-known Afghan figures, chose the Balkh governor’s office as the headquarters, and it was decided that the 209th Shaheen Corps would provide the necessary equipment to the people, led by Atta Mohammad Noor, and General Dostum on operations.
The participants in the meeting pledged to fight to the death against the Taliban in defense of Afghanistan’s gate, Balkh.
UN: The situation in Afghanistan is out of control
The UN secretary-general warned that the situation in Afghanistan was getting out of control and called for an end to Taliban attacks and for the group to return to the negotiating table.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” by initial reports that the Taliban had severely restricted human rights in areas under their control. He added: Watching the loss of “the hard-earned rights of Afghan women and girls is appalling and heartbreaking.”
Guterres warned that the situation in Afghanistan was spiraling out of control and called for an end to Taliban attacks and for the group to return to the negotiating table.
Noting that more than 1,000 people have died in clashes in the past month, particularly in Helmand, Kandahar and Herat, Guterres added that clashes between Afghan and Taliban forces that have spread to other cities have caused extensive damage to civilians.
He described the attacks on civilians as a violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime, adding that targeting women and journalists and severe human rights restrictions in Taliban-controlled areas were “very worrying”.
Guttierez added: It is horrible and sad to see the news of the deprivation of the rights of Afghan girls and women. Gaining power through war is a loss, leading Afghanistan to a protracted civil war and complete isolation.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed not to “turn his back on Afghanistan.”
He also called on Western countries to work together to prevent Afghanistan from turning into an “embankment for terrorism”.
The British Prime Minister, who spoke after the emergency meeting of his government to review the crisis in Afghanistan, promised that his country will follow the path of “political and diplomatic pressure.” Boris Johnson, however, ruled out a “military solution” in the current situation.
He said: “What we need to do now is not turn our backs on Afghanistan. In return, we must work with our partners as members of the Security Council to ensure that the Kabul government does not allow the country to become a source of terrorism.”
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace had criticized the US decision to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. “It was not the right time and it was not the right decision,” he said. “Al-Qaeda is likely to return.”
The British Defense Secretary also said he was concerned about what was considered a “threat to Britain’s security and interests”.
Sending 600 British troops to Afghanistan
He also announced the deployment of troops to Afghanistan to evacuate British citizens, and said the British embassy in Kabul would be relocated to a safer location.
Reports from Afghanistan indicate that a group of US troops entered Afghanistan to assist in the evacuation of US diplomats.
NATO: The Taliban will not be recognized if they take over Afghanistan
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday after meeting with representatives of NATO member states in Brussels following the decision by Washington and London to expel their citizens from Afghanistan that: NATO will support the government as much as possible and “adapt” its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan to the current situation. The safety of our staff is paramount. Our diplomatic presence in Kabul will continue.
In a statement, Stoltenberg expressed concern about the situation in Afghanistan, stressing that the Taliban would not be recognized if they took control of Afghanistan through their attacks.
The governments of Norway and Denmark announced on Friday that they were temporarily closing their embassies in Kabul.
Oslo and Copenhagen will also remove all staff from their embassies in Afghanistan. At the same time, Finland announced that 130 local embassy staff would leave Kabul.
German Foreign Minister Haiku Moss also said that Berlin intended to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in the country to “the minimum possible” in light of recent developments in Afghanistan.
Eliza Raggi, spokeswoman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry (DFAE), said that following the escalation of violence in Afghanistan, Switzerland had halved its staff in Afghanistan to three and planned to lay off them soon.
Spain, in turn, announced the evacuation of its personnel and citizens in Afghanistan, as well as Afghans who cooperated with Spanish forces during the war in Afghanistan.
EU Secretary of State Jose Manuel Albars has expressed grave concern over the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan as Taliban forces move towards Kabul.
Belgium and France have once again called on their citizens in Afghanistan to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban advance.
The last contact with the French in Afghanistan came from the Afghan embassy in Kabul in mid-July amid escalating fighting across the country and the withdrawal of international troops. French citizens were offered to leave Afghanistan on a government-organized free flight to Paris on July 16.
A spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry said on Friday in response to a reporter’s question about whether France intended to evacuate diplomatically.
“Due to the deteriorating security situation, we again called on the French last week to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. Paris continues to pursue “worrying developments” in Central Asia. Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Water Pulse also said that Brussels had previously asked the Belgians to leave Afghanistan.
The Canadian Defense Minister confirmed reports of the deployment of Canadian Special Forces in Afghanistan to ensure the safety of the remaining Canadians in the country.
The Pentagon said Kabul did not face an “imminent threat” despite the Taliban’s rapid advance into the Afghan capital. However, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told a news conference that although the capital was “not under immediate threat”, the Taliban were seeking to cut off communication and isolate Kabul.
The White House says President Joe Biden has spoken with Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense and National Security Adviser about reducing US military presence in Afghanistan.
The US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense had previously told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that Washington would reduce its civilian presence in Kabul due to the security situation, and reaffirmed Washington’s support for the Afghan government.
The United States is preparing to evacuate its embassy in Kabul
As the Taliban approached Kabul, three sources familiar with US government preparations said the Pentagon was considering the full withdrawal of US diplomats from Kabul, and two other sources said the US Central Command considered the complete withdrawal of the embassy staff “inevitable”.
Billions of dollars in US military equipment fell to the Taliban
During the Taliban’s advance into key Afghan cities, the group seized billions of dollars in US military equipment, including anti-personnel minesweepers, drones and personnel carriers, at Kunduz airport.
According to The Independent, Julian Popke, a reporter for the German newspaper Bild, posted pictures of equipment seized by the Taliban on his Twitter account.
McConnell: US to stop Taliban advance with airstrikes
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called on his country to launch air strikes against the Taliban and provide support to Afghan forces to prevent the militant group from occupying the Afghan capital while continuing to withdraw US troops.
“It is not too late to prevent the Taliban from occupying Kabul,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement, quoting Hill. The government must act quickly to stop the Taliban’s advance with airstrikes, provide vital support to the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces in defending the capital, and prevent the seemingly imminent fall of the country.
Ashraf Ghani: We will not allow Afghanistan to become more unstable
In his speech today (Saturday), the President of Afghanistan promised to prevent further instability in the country in the face of Taliban aggression.
According to Sputnik news agency, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in his speech today stressed that given the current situation, the re-mobilization of the Afghan security and defense forces is still the main priority of the government.
The Taliban claimed control of the central province of Paktika
The Taliban said on Saturday that it had captured the southeastern city of Sharana in Paktika province.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban militia, tweeted that the governor’s office, police headquarters and other government buildings in the city were under Taliban control.
Taliban militants also seized weapons belonging to government soldiers who had changed their front.