Arkansas Online

Taliban pushing into key capital

9 districts taken in Helmand province as civilians hide inside

COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS Information for this article was contributed by Tameem Akhgar, Rahim Faiez and Kathy Gannon of The Associated Press.

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban pressed ahead Tuesday with their advances in southern Afghanistan, capturing nine out of 10 districts of the Helmand provincial capital, residents and officials said. Afghan government forces launched airstrikes, backed by the U.S., 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 have waged over the past months as U.S. and NATO forces complete their pullout from the war-torn country. It also would be the first provincial capital captured by the Taliban in years.

Residents of the city, speaking to The Associated Press by phone, said the fighting has them trapped, hunkered down in their homes and unable to step out for basic supplies. They said Taliban fighters were out openly in the streets, and that all but one Lashkar Gah district was under Taliban control.

Elite commando units were dispatched from Kabul to aid Afghan forces as the government held on to key government buildings, including the local police and army headquarters.

Majid Akhund, deputy chairman of the Helmand provincial council, confirmed that the Taliban control nine Lashkar Gah districts and also the city’s TV and radio station, which had both gone off the air.

The Afghan forces commander for Helmand, Gen. Sami Sadat, in an audio message shared with journalists Tuesday urged residents in neighborhoods 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 that more airstrikes were planned.

“Please evacuate your families from your homes and their surroundings,” 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.”

Lashkar Gah is one of three provincial capitals under siege by the Taliban as they stepped up their onslaught against government forces. 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 resupplies and reinforcements. Over the past weeks, the Taliban have also captured several lucrative border crossings with Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

In the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Tuesday scores of people waving the Afghan flag and shouting “God is great” swarmed the streets in support of Afghanistan’s security forces.

A similar procession took place in the western city of Herat on Monday after Afghan soldiers pushed the Taliban back from the entrance to the city.

The Taliban have most recently turned their guns on provincial capitals as the withdrawal of the U.S. and NATO forces is now more than 95% complete. The final U.S. and NATO soldiers are expected to be out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31.

The two other provincial capitals under siege are in the neighboring province of Kandahar, also in the south, and in western Herat province.

NEIGHBORHOOD TARGETS

Meanwhile, a powerful explosion rocked an upscale neighborhood of Jabul on Tuesday in an attack that apparently targeted the country’s acting defense minister. At least 10 people were wounded, a health official said.

Several smaller explosions could be heard as well as small-arms fire. No one immediately took responsibility for the attack.

Interior Ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanekzai said the blast happened in the posh Sherpur neighborhood, which is in a deeply secure section of the capital known as the green zone and is home to several senior government officials.

Stanekzai said it appeared the guesthouse of acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi was targeted. A former vice president, Younus Qanooni, reassured Mohammadi’s party in a social media message that the minister and his family were safe.

The Defense Ministry released a video in which 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 says.

Stanekzai said all four attackers were eventually killed by security personnel and a clean-up operation was conducted by police. All roads leading to the minister’s house and guesthouse were closed, he said.

Hundreds of residents in the area were moved to safety, said Ferdaws Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. He said security personnel had also carried out house-to-house searches.

International

en-us

2021-08-04T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-08-04T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.arkansasonline.com/article/281844351683215

WEHCO Media