The continuing onslaught

Many of the Afghan cities and even whole districts fall in recent weeks without a fight

The Taliban continue to gain territory in Afghanistan, taking yet another provincial capital on Monday after gaining control of several districts in previous weeks. Many of the cities and even whole districts that have fallen in recent weeks went without a fight, showing how weak the Afghan government’s forces are. While the Kabul government disputes some of the territorial losses claimed by the Taliban, it doesn’t help that local politicians loyal to Kabul are openly admitting that the Taliban are in control. At this rate, we are only a few days removed from major cities such as Kandahar and Mazar-i-Sharif falling as well.

And while some of these cities may put up more of a fight than those before, this will be despite the Kabul government, rather than because of it. Warlords such as Atta Mohammad Noor have vowed to fight to the death, and given their track record, we believe them. Where the Kabul government’s forces flee at the mere sight of the Taliban, Noor, Rashid Dostum, and other surviving warlords from the Soviet-Afghan war and the Taliban-Northern Alliance war have proven that they are fighters. Unfortunately for the warlords, the Taliban played smart and appear to have gone for supply lines first, cutting off many areas in ways that ensure that even stalemate battles will end with the surrender of the besieged.

The only way they can hold their own militarily is if Kabul gets its act together. That, however, is wishful thinking, as in the 20 years since the US invasion, the government in Kabul — whether helmed by Ashraf Ghani or Hamid Karzai before him — has failed to show an iota of competence. Kabul has, however, mastered the art of deflection, as it continues to blame Pakistan for its own failings.

Also notable is the Taliban’s decision to close the Spin Boldak border unless Afghans are granted visa-free travel rights. This condition is unacceptable to Pakistan, but the closure could cost the Pakistani economy millions of dollars a month. Why would a Pakistani proxy do so? Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi even made a rare direct comment about the same this week, noting, “The issues of governance and meltdown of Afghan National Defence Forces needs to be looked into, instead of simply pointing fingers at Pakistan.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2021.

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