Afghan security forces have faced a barrage of attacks by the Taliban in recent days after the US missed its May 1 deadline to withdraw all its troops from the country. On Tuesday, the group launched a heavy offensive in the southern province of Helmand, attacking multiple checkpoints around the outskirts of the capital, Lashkar Gah.
Though the Afghan army—with help from American warplanes conducting airstrikes—was able to stop the Taliban’s advance, the intense hostilities displaced hundreds of families from the area. “The bombing was intense. I have never seen such bombardment in several years,” a local government official told AFP. While neither side has officially confirmed the number of casualties, both the Afghan government and the Taliban claimed to have inflicted massive losses on their opponents.
Under the terms of the US-Taliban deal signed in February last year, Washington agreed to pull out its troops from Afghanistan by May 1. Simultaneously, the Taliban accepted to cease its attacks on US troops. However, President Joe Biden’s decision to stay on past the deadline and complete withdrawal by September has been met with fierce resistance from the group, which has resulted in a resumption of hostilities in the country.
In fact, the Afghan government on Wednesday said that it had recorded more than 100 attacks by the Taliban in 26 of the nation’s 34 provinces over 24 hours. On Friday evening, nearly 30 people were killed in Logar province due to a car bomb. On Monday, at least seven Afghan military personnel were killed by Taliban explosives in the southwestern Farah province. On Wednesday, the militants seized Barka district in the north-western province of Baghlan, killing nine Afghan soldiers and wounding several others.
The US has begun its drawdown from the nation, having reportedly completed about 2-6% of the process so far. As part of its pull-out, the US military handed over a base in Helmand to the Afghan government two days ago. Kabul has also taken over Camp Mike Span from German forces in the province of Balkh. American officials have additionally said that they have the means and capability to fully protect their forces during retrograde while also supporting Afghan security forces.
As for the stalled peace talks, the Taliban have said that negotiations will bear no fruit unless their leaders are removed from US and UN sanctions lists. The group said that the designations were a major obstacle in the peace process, and with them still intact, it would be “unreasonable” for the UN and other world powers to expect successful intra-Afghan talks. “It is imperative for mutual trust that names of individuals associated with the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) be completely, and not conditionally or temporarily, be removed from black and reward lists,” the Taliban said in a statement.
Taliban Launches Offensive in Afghanistan Amid US Troop Withdrawal
The US’ decision to stay on past the deadline and complete withdrawal by September has been met with fierce resistance from the group, which has resulted in a resumption of hostilities in the country.
May 6, 2021
SOURCE: JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES