Asia

Home page

Asia

Taliban take strategic Afghan city of Ghazni on road to Kabul

12 August 2021 19:25 (UTC +04:00)

Taliban fighters captured the strategic Afghan city of Ghazni on Thursday, taking them to within 150 km (95 miles) of Kabul following days of fierce clashes as the Islamist group ruled out sharing power with the government, APA reports citing Reuters.

The speed and violence of the Taliban advance, including heavy fighting in their heartland and the second-biggest city of Kandahar, have sparked recriminations among many Afghans over U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. troops and leave the Afghan government to fight alone.

The gateways to the capital have been choked with people fleeing violence elsewhere in the country this week, a Western security source said. It was hard to tell whether Taliban fighters were also getting through, the source added.

With the last of the U.S.-led international forces set to leave by the end of the month and end the United States' longest war, the Taliban now control about two-thirds of the country. On Wednesday, a U.S. defence official cited U.S. intelligence as saying the Taliban could isolate Kabul in 30 days and possibly take it over within 90.