US Secy Antony Blinken speaks to Abdullah Abdullah as Kabul reels under Taliban attack

As Taliban closes on Kabul, US State Secretary Antony Blinken on Sunday, spoke with Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah on the efforts to reduce violence in war-torn Afghanistan. Blinken assured Abdullah of US support to the Afghanistan govt and its people, thanking him for his effort taken to reach a political settlement. Taliban has begun its offensive attack on Kabul with the capital city currently under blackout.

Blinken speaks to Abdullah 

Taliban captures Mazar-e-Sharif

On Saturday night, Taliban captured Mazar-e-Sharif - the heavily defended city by Afghan forces and two powerful former warlords in northern Afghanistan, confining the Western-backed government to the center and east. Abas Ebrahimzada, a lawmaker from the Balkh province where the city is located, said the national army surrendered first, which prompted pro-government militias and other forces to lose morale and give up. The Taliban now control 24 of 34 provinces including Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Lashkar Gah.

In an attempt to slow down Taliban's approach to Kabul, US President Joe Biden ordered deployment of 5,000 troops to Afghanistan to ensure an orderly and safe drawdown of American personnel from the war-torn country.  The additional 1000 troops' deployment is in addition to the existing 1000 troops in Afghanistan and 3000 troops ordered last week. Biden,  however, ruled out any change in his plans with regard to withdrawal of all his troops from Afghanistan before September 11.

“I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan—two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement vowing to prevent further instability in the country. Stating that Afghan defence forces were being remobilised, he added that extensive consultations were being held at home and abroad. He said, "I strive to ensure that this imposed war does not further kill the people of Afghanistan and destroy your achievements in the past 20 years".

The Taliban offensive

As US troops retreat after 20 years from war-torn Afghanistan, Taliban has launched an offensive taking over cities like Kandahar, Herat and Lashkar Gah, gradually encircling the government in the capital, Kabul. The officials said Kandahar fell on Thursday night and that government officials and their entourage managed to flee to the airport to escape the city by air. UN has urged Taliban to stop the onslaught.

Meanwhile, in Doha where peace talks are being held between various states, the Afghan government and the Taliban, envoys from the United States, China and others called for an accelerated peace process for Afghanistan as a "matter of great urgency" and for an immediate halt to attacks on provincial capitals and cities in Afghanistan. They also reaffirmed that foreign capitals would not recognise any government in Afghanistan "imposed through the use of military force". China, on the other hand, is preparing to recognise a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.