The Taliban has tightened its grip on the areas surrounding the Afghan capital on Saturday as refugees flee from the insurgents, who continue their relentless campaign. U.S. Marines have returned to oversee rapid evacuation operations. With the fall of the country’s second and third largest cities to the Taliban, Kabul has effectively become surrounded, with the last remnants of government forces showing only limited resistance in some areas and none in others.
Taliban fighters are now positioned just fifty kilometers from Kabul, leading the United States and other countries to hasten the evacuation of their nationals before a significant assault that raises major concerns. U.S. embassy staff have been ordered to destroy or burn sensitive materials as the redeployment of three thousand American troops begins to secure the Kabul airport and oversee evacuation operations. Several European countries, including Britain, Germany, Denmark, and Spain, announced on Friday the withdrawal of personnel from their embassies.
Residents of Kabul and the tens of thousands who have sought refuge in the capital in recent weeks are feeling confusion and fear about what awaits them. "We do not know what is happening," said Khairuddin Logari, a resident of the capital, to Agence France-Presse. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "deep concern" over reports of abuse against women in areas taken over by the Taliban, which imposed a strict form of Islam on Afghanistan during its rule from 1996 to 2001. Guterres stated, "It is horrifying and heartbreaking to see reports indicating that the hard-won rights of Afghan girls and women are falling away."
The scale and speed of the Taliban's advance have shocked Afghans and the U.S.-led coalition that pumped billions into the country after overthrowing the group following the September 11 attacks nearly twenty years ago. Days before the completion of the U.S. withdrawal ordered by President Joe Biden, soldiers, units, and even entire divisions surrendered and handed over additional vehicles and military equipment to the insurgents to fuel their rapid advance.
### No Immediate Threat
Despite frantic efforts to evacuate nationals, the Biden administration insists that the Taliban's complete control over the country is not inevitable. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stated on Friday that "Kabul is not currently in an environment of imminent threat," but he acknowledged that Taliban fighters "are trying to isolate" the city. The pace of the Taliban's attack has accelerated in recent days, with the group seizing Herat in the west and then only hours later taking Kandahar, the Taliban's stronghold in the south.
Abdul Nafai, a resident of Kandahar, told AFP that the city was quiet after government forces abandoned it, retreating to military facilities outside where they were negotiating surrender terms. He added, "I went out this morning and saw Taliban white flags in most of the city's squares," explaining, "I thought it might be the first day of Eid."
Pro-Taliban accounts on social media are celebrating the vast war spoils seized by the insurgents, posting images of armored vehicles, heavy weapons, and even drone aircraft taken by the group at abandoned military bases. In Herat, the Taliban detained Ismail Khan, a long-established influential figure in the province, who helped lead the defense of the provincial capital alongside his militia fighters.
Boli Alam, the capital of Logar province, was the last city to fall on Friday, placing the Taliban close to Kabul. Helicopters flew back and forth between Kabul airport and the large U.S. diplomatic compound in the heavily secured Green Zone, recalling the evacuation of Americans from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War 46 years ago.
The U.S.-led evacuation operation involves thousands of people, including embassy staff and Afghans with their families who fear retaliation after working as interpreters or in other roles for Americans. The Pentagon spokesperson stated that the bulk of the forces overseeing the evacuation would be ready by Sunday and "will be able to transport thousands of people daily" from Afghanistan. He affirmed that "there will be no problem with capacity" to evacuate nationals.
