New Delhi: The Taliban, on Friday, claimed to have captured one of the second largest cities in Afganistan named Kandahar & Lashkar Gah. With this, only certain pockets and the capital, Kabul, is in the hands of the government.
The city used to be under the Taliban's stronghold and was also the trade hub of the country. It is also considered to be the birthplace of the Taliban.
"Kandahar is completely conquered. The Mujahideen reached Martyrs' Square," a Taliban spokesman tweeted referring to it as a landmark.
This claim was confirmed by a resident of Kandahar, who told AFP that the government forces have withdrawn and moved outside the city into military facilities.
The Taliban has also captured the key southern city, of Lashkar Gah, a senior Afghan security source told AFP on Friday.
The Taliban captured Kandahar a day after capturing Herat the third largest city in Afghanistan, along with Ghazni and Qala-I-Naw on Thursday.
Herat had been under militant attack for two weeks, with one wave blunted by the arrival of warlord Ismail Khan and his forces. But on Thursday afternoon, Taliban fighters broke through the city's defensive lines and later said they were in control.
Associated Press on Thursday reported that the U.S. military intelligence assessment suggested Kabul could come under insurgent pressure within 30 days and if the trends continue, the Taliban could gain full control of the country within a few months. The report said that the Afghan government may eventually be forced to pull back to defend the capital and just a few other cities in the coming days.
A large number U.S. Military troops will likely be sent back to help evacuate the American embassy and bring the American people back to the US on special flights. According to AFP, the Pentagon said 3,000 US troops would be deployed to Kabul within the next 24 to 48 hours but these troops will not launch any attacks on the Taliban.
Similarly, the UK will deploy 600 troops to bring back its nationals, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that London will support the relocation of former Afghan staff who risked their lives serving the UK according to AFP.
According to media reports, thousands of people have fled the cities in fear that the Taliban gaining control means that they will impose brutal & repressive government eliminate women's rights, and even conduct public amputations, stonings, and executions. Witnesses described seeing Taliban fighters who were once at Herat's prison now freely moving on the streets.