Afghan Forces Have Started Slowing Down Taliban’s Advance
The Afghan security forces have already started slowing down the further advances of the Taliban. They have also take back some of the areas captured by the Taliban. The air strike by the American forces against the Taliban has proved to be a solid support.
Now the USA defence minister too has reiterated that the first task of the Afghan Forces was to make sure that the Taliban’s advancing momentum is brought to a complete halt. Only then they must attempt to retake territory, as Afghan forces plan to consolidate forces around strategically important parts of the country.
Reuters reported that Afghanistan’s military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure. For years, the US military had been trying to get Afghan troops off of far-flung checkpoints – static positions that can easily be overrun by Taliban forces.
“They are consolidating their forces around the key population centres,” Austin told reporters during a visit to Alaska. Austin added that he believed the Afghans had the capability and the capacity to make progress, but “we’ll see what happens.”
“In terms of whether or not it will stop the Taliban, I think the first thing to do is to make sure that they can slow the momentum,” Austin said, speaking as the US military is set to end its mission in Afghanistan on August 31, on orders from President Joe Biden.
Though this policy of not trying to recapture may be bad politically, specially during negotiations post complete withdrawal of US Forces. However It may to be a military necessity as over-stretched Afghan troops try to prevent the loss of provincial capitals, which could deeply fracture the country.
Taliban insurgents have gained control of lot of territory, which the Pentagon estimated on Wednesday now extends to over nearly half of Afghanistan’s district centres. The Taliban are also putting pressure on the outskirts of half of the provincial capitals, trying to isolate them.
The initial Taliban’s swift territorial gains indeed rattled Afghan Government and most of its supporters internationally. The United States had succeeded in punishing al Qaeda following its September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington but now the whole thing has failed to deliver anything close to peace for Afghanistan.
Though Biden has promised to provide financial assistance to Afghan forces and to redouble diplomatic efforts to revive stalled peace talks. On Friday, the US President also authorized up to $100 million from an emergency fund to meet “unexpected urgent” refugee needs stemming from the situation in Afghanistan, including for Afghan special immigration visa applicants.
Now in fact time has come for India too to assert itself in support of the Afghan Government. Apart from supplying urgently needed military hardware, India also needs to fully activate its Farkhor Airbase in Tajikistan.
