The Taliban has pressed ahead with its advances in southern Afghanistan, capturing nine out of 10 districts of the Helmand provincial capital, residents and officials say.
Key points:
- Lashkar Gah is one of three provincial capitals under siege by the Taliban
- The fall of Lashkar Gah would be the first provincial capital captured by the Taliban in years
- Residents have been urged to evacuate the city, but many have been trapped inside their homes
Afghan government forces launched airstrikes, backed by the US, in a desperate effort to defend the city of Lashkar Gah.
The fall of Lashkar Gah would be a major turning point in the offensive the Taliban has waged over the past months as US and NATO forces complete their pullout from the war-torn country.
It would also be the first provincial capital captured by the Taliban in years.
Residents of the city, speaking to the Associated Press by telephone, said the fighting had them hunkered down in their homes and unable to step out for basic supplies.
They said Taliban fighters were out openly in the streets, and all but one Lashkar Gah district was under Taliban control.
Most of the Taliban’s advances have focused on rural areas, but now they have turned their attention to provincial capitals.(WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images
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Elite commando units were dispatched from Kabul to aid Afghan forces as the government held key government buildings, including the local police and army headquarters.
Majid Akhund, deputy chairman of the Helmand provincial council, confirmed that the Taliban controlled nine Lashkar Gah districts and also the city’s TV and radio stations, which had both gone off the air.
The Afghan forces commander for Helmand, General Sami Sadat, in an audio message shared with journalists on Tuesday urged residents in neighbourhoods captured by the Taliban to evacuate immediately, though he did not clarify how they could do that amid the ongoing clashes.
The message was an indication more airstrikes were planned.
“Please evacuate your families from your homes and their surroundings,” Mr Sadat said.
“We will not leave the Taliban alive I know it’s hard we do it for your future. Forgive us if you get displaced for few days, please evacuate as soon as possible.”
Three capitals under threat
Lashkar Gah is one of three provincial capitals under siege by the Taliban as it stepped up its onslaught against government forces.
Taliban taking back swathes of Afghanistan
As foreign forces slowly leave Afghanistan ahead of the official September 11 withdrawal date, Taliban insurgents are gaining ground across the country.
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In recent months the Taliban swept through dozens of districts across the country, many in remote and rural, sparsely populated areas.
Afghan troops in those battles often surrendered or pulled out with barely a fight, frequently lacking re-supplies and reinforcements.
Over the past weeks, the Taliban has also captured several lucrative border crossings with Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan.
The Taliban has most recently turned its guns on provincial capitals, with the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces now more than 95 per cent complete.
The final US and NATO soldiers are expected to be out of Afghanistan by August 31.
The two other provincial capitals under siege are in the neighbouring province of Kandahar, also in the south, and in western Herat province.
Acting defence minister targeted in attack
A powerful explosion rocked an upscale neighbourhood of Afghanistan’s capital on Tuesday in an attack that apparently targeted the country’s acting defence minister.
At least 10 people were wounded, a health official said. No-one immediately took responsibility for the attack.
Interior Ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanekzai said the blast happened in the upmarket Sherpur neighbourhood, which is in a deeply secure section of the capital known as the green zone.
It is home to several senior government officials.
Afghan security personnel attend the site of a powerful explosion in a Kabul neighbourhood where several senior government officials live. (AP: Rahmat Gul
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Mr Stanekzai said it appeared the guesthouse of Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, the acting defence minister, was targeted in the attack.
His Jamiat-e-Islami party was told the minister was not in the guesthouse and his family had been safely evacuated.
The defence ministry released a video in which Mr Mohammadi says his guards had been wounded in a suicide attack.
“I assure my beloved countrymen that such attacks cannot have any impact on my willingness to defend my countrymen and my country,” he said.
Afghan President blames speedy US pullout for Taliban resurgence
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday blamed the hasty withdrawal of US and NATO troops for the deteriorating security situation, while analysts said deep corruption and poor training had left Afghan forces overwhelmed.
Afghanistan’s air force has been seriously hurt by the American and NATO withdrawal, which included contractors who had maintained the fleet of fighter aircraft.
Ashraf Ghani says the US withdrawal is to blame for Afghanistan’s fast-deteriorating security situation
Washington’s watchdog overseeing US taxpayer dollars spent in Afghanistan said the Afghan aircraft were flying 25 per cent longer than they should before being maintained.
In Herat, the capital of the province by the same name, Afghan forces appeared on Tuesday to be able to push the Taliban back, with the insurgents on the edge of the city. Also, Herat city’s civilian airport re-opened.
The United Nations has repeatedly decried the rise in civilian casualties inflicted by both sides in the increasingly brutal conflict.
In a tweet, the UN mission appealed for a quick end to the fighting in heavily populated urban areas.
In the past three days, the UN said 10 civilians had been killed in Lashkar Gah and 85 were wounded.
In southern Kandahar, at least five civilians were killed, 42 were wounded, and thousands more displaced.
The US and other world leaders have warned the Taliban against a military takeover of Afghanistan, saying they would become an international pariah again if they tried to take power by force.
“The Taliban’s disregard for the dignity of each Afghan citizen and for human life more broadly has shocked the world. This is not how legitimate powers or governments behave,” the US embassy in Kabul tweeted.
When they last ruled Afghanistan, the Taliban were recognised by only three countries Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Taliban taking back control of Afghan province
AP