Taliban offensive nears Helmand’s capital just days after withdrawal by US troops

11:39 5/5/2021 - Πηγή: Armynow

Taliban fighters swept to the edge of the capital of Afghanistan’s Helmand province before being halted in heavy fighting – just days after American troops withdrew from the area.

Thousands of residents fled the fighting and dozens

were killed or wounded in clashes on the edges of the city.

Officials said Taliban fighters had penetrated deeper into Lashkar Gah than a similar offensive last autumn and at one stage on Monday local politicians said they feared the city would fall.

The offensive came as Afghans and their international backers anxiously watched to see whether Afghan forces would be able to stand alone against the insurgency as US troops prepared to leave within the next four months.

Insurgents broke through government defences in Nawa district, south-west of the capital, and reached the western suburb of Bolan.

The Taliban easily overran at least 12 checkpoints, killing eight soldiers and injuring 19 others, according to Attaullah Afghan, president of the provincial council.

Local resident Mulah Jan said: “There was a thunderstorm of heavy weapons and blasts, and the sound of small arms was like someone was making popcorn.”

Abdul Wali, another Bolan resident, said: “The Taliban took control of our neighbourhood yesterday and marched towards the capital.”

Yesterday, Afghan forces said they had halted the Taliban advance, killed dozens of fighters and were confident they could regain what had been taken.

Brigadier General Sami Sadat, commander of the Afghan army’s local 215th Maiwand corps, claimed the Taliban would not advance any further, and that reinforcements had arrived.

At the weekend, the US handed over its last but one military installation in Helmand, a province that once held dozens of camps and operating bases.

US President Joe Biden has said all his troops would leave before the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. His refusal to pull out by the May 1 deadline agreed by his predecessor, Donald Trump, led the Taliban to accuse him of breaching a previous agreement and to threaten a renewed spring offensive.

Washington tried to warn the Taliban it would become an international pariah if it rejected peace talks with Ashraf Ghani’s government and tried to take the country by force.

America’s top military officer said this week he did not know if the Afghan forces could stand on their own. Many Afghans feared the country would fracture and tip deeper into civil war.

Source: independent.ie

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