An Afghan security source announced that the Taliban took control of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, on Friday after allowing the military and political and administrative officials to leave the city. This came just hours after the group claimed to have seized control of Afghanistan's second-largest city. The Taliban also announced their control over Ghor province in central Afghanistan without resistance, according to reports from the area. A senior security official told AFP, "Lashkar Gah has been evacuated, and they decided to cease fire for 48 hours to evacuate" the military and civilian officials.
On the other hand, Zalmay Karimi, spokesperson for the governor of Ghor, told AFP that the group's fighters took control of Chaghcharan, the capital of this province, on Friday morning without encountering resistance. Reuters quoted an Afghan official saying the Taliban controls most of Herat city, Afghanistan's third-largest city. Ghulam Habib Hashimo stated that government forces only control the airport and a military camp in the city, which has a population of around 600,000 near the border with Iran. He added, "Families have either fled or are hiding in their homes."
Simultaneously, officials reported that the Taliban seized the city of Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest city, marking the largest setback for the US-backed government since the group began a new offensive amid the withdrawal of American forces. A local government official told Reuters after announcing the Taliban’s control over the city, "The Taliban have taken control of Kandahar after intense clashes late last night." Government forces still control the Kandahar airport, which was the second-largest base for the US military in Afghanistan. Kandahar is the second-largest Afghan city and a stronghold of the Taliban, who now control approximately two-thirds of the country.
Following the swift and violent advance of the Taliban, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) stated on Thursday that it will send an additional 3,000 soldiers on a temporary mission to Afghanistan to assist in securing the evacuation of members of the US diplomatic mission from the embassy in Kabul. The United Nations warned that a Taliban advance to the capital would have a "catastrophic impact on civilians." The United States and Germany urged their citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately.
Within eight days, the Taliban has taken control of nearly half of Afghanistan's provincial capitals and now dominates most of the northern, western, and southern regions of the country. Only three major cities remain under government control: the capital Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, and Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban began their offensive in May as the final withdrawal of US and foreign forces, which must be completed by August 31, commenced.
