On August 12, in a surprise move, the US Department of Defense announced that the Pentagon would send about 3,000 troops to Afghanistan in an effort to assist US diplomats and citizens leaving the southwestern country.
US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said the 3,000 troops are expected to be deployed to Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital Kabul in the “next few days”. In addition, a reserve force of about 3,500-4,000 troops will be located in Kuwait.
According to John Kirby, the two battalions deployed to Hamid Karzai International Airport will be Marines, along with a battalion of the US Army. All three battalions are part of the Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US military.
Earlier, the US State Department ordered the emergency evacuation of US diplomatic staff in Afghanistan because of the increasingly ominous security situation amid the rapidly expanding control of the Islamic Taliban. US officials added that the evacuation of diplomatic staff was also part of a pre-planned withdrawal.
CNN reported that US Defense Secretary Defense Lloyd and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on August 12 assured Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that “the United States remains committed to the security and stability of Afghanistan amid the violent escalation of the Taliban.” force” while maintaining close diplomatic and security relations with the Government of Afghanistan. A State Department spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, also denied that Washington had asked Ghani to step down to pave the way for a ceasefire and the formation of a transitional government in the country. The spokesman stressed that it was fake news and that “the decision to choose the leader of the country belongs to the Afghan people”.
On the same day, the British Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Office released a joint press release saying that the UK would deploy about 600 troops to Afghanistan shortly to support security and help British citizens leave the country shortly. The security situation is rapidly deteriorating. The activity of British embassy staff in the capital Kabul has also been reduced to a minimum, mainly focusing on consular work and visas for those who need to leave Afghanistan soon.
The new moves above come after on August 12, the militants of the Islamic Taliban movement captured two more major and strategic cities of Afghanistan, thereby closing and completely isolating the capital. Kabul with the rest of the country.
CNN (USA) and RT channel (Russia) reported that the Taliban continued to make overwhelming advances on the ground when they took control of the two cities of Herat and Ghazni from the Afghan government forces.
This is a step that is considered to be significant in turning the situation around and is decisive. Herat is the third-largest city, a major population centre in western Afghanistan. According to Afghan officials, this city has fallen and is completely controlled by the Taliban since the evening of August 12 (local time). Herat, a city with an international airport, is on the main road that runs to the border between Iran and Turkmenistan.
Meanwhile, Ghazni is a strategically located provincial capital on the road to the capital Kabul. Nasir Ahmad Faqiri, head of the provincial council in Ghazni, confirmed the city had fallen to the Taliban. Ghazni, which is only about 150km from the capital Kabul, acts as the capital’s shield. Previously, Afghanistan’s second largest city – Kandahar – also fell after government troops withdrew.
Thus, since the US and coalition began the process of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in May, the Taliban has captured 11 major cities/provinces and gained control of nearly two-thirds of the country’s territory in Southwest Asia.
The call was made in a statement following talks in Doha, Qatar, where envoys met with Afghan government negotiators and Taliban representatives. The statement also reaffirmed that countries would not recognize any government in Afghanistan that came to power “through the use of military force”.
The meetings in Doha, aimed at breaking the imp . US intelligence predicts that the rebels could capture the capital Kabul within the next three months.