In what signals the final assault by Taliban on Afghanistan, the Mujahideen fighters confirmed they would take over capital Kabul — the last bastion with the Ashraf Ghani government — within two hours. The Taliban raced closer to a complete military takeover of Afghanistan Sunday after capturing more major cities, leaving only the isolated capital Kabul for them to conquer, which now seems to have fallen. The insurgents took control of the key eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday, just hours after seizing the northern anti-Taliban bastion of Mazar-i-Sharif — extending an astonishing rout of government forces and warlord militias achieved in just 10 days.
Here’s why the takeover of Kabul sounds the death knell for Afghanistan:
The significance
Kabul, for most Afghans and for the rest of the world, is the heart of Afghanistan and taking Kabul is symbolically, if not geo-politically, tantamount to taking Afghanistan.
Thomas Goutierre, dean of International Studies and Programs at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a former resident of Kabul, was quoted as saying by ABC News that “without Kabul, Afghans are like orphans”.
While there may be disagreements over the repercussions of the Taliban takeover, there is no denying the psychological impact the move may have. Kabul is a living symbol of the multi-ethnic aspirations of a very diverse nation for majority of Afghans.
Current situation
The city’s population of 5 million people has been swollen with thousands fleeing other parts of the country. Thousands of troops from the United States and Britain are flying in to secure the airport and their embassies as foreign missions start evacuating personnel.
Kabul covers an area of about 1,000 square km (400 sq miles) and is ringed by mountains. There are four main roads into the city: from Maidan Shahr in the southwest, Pul-e-Alam in the south, Surobi in the east and Bagram in the north. The Taliban took Pul-e-Alam on Saturday without much resistance, a local provincial council member said. The Taliban say they are close to capturing Maidan Shahr. They have already taken Ghazni, down the road from Maidan Shahr, and have a strong presence in surrounding areas.
On Sunday, the Taliban took the eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight. The main highway from there to Kabul passes through Surobi.
PAST ASSAULTS ON KABUL
In 1996, the Taliban conquered Kabul from the Mujahedin alliance with an assault through Surobi. After winning a battle at Surobi, the Taliban marched unchecked into Kabul.
In 2001, U.S.-backed forces re-took Kabul with an attack from the north, entering the city via Bagram after a barrage of air strikes killed hundreds of entrenched Taliban fighters who had formed a defensive ring.
Bagram airbase, 64 km (40 miles) north of Kabul, is the country’s most significant military asset and was the seat of the U.S. military during the 20-year-long Afghan war before they vacated it just a month ago. The base is now in the hands of the Afghan military.
US ferries diplomats
A tweet from the Afghan Presidential palace account said firing had been heard at a number of points around Kabul but that security forces, in coordination with international partners, had control of the city.
U.S. officials said the diplomats were being ferried to the airport from the embassy in the fortified Wazir Akbar Khan district. More American troops were being sent to help in the evacuations after the Taliban’s lightning advances brought the Islamist group to Kabul in a matter of days.
Just last week, a U.S. intelligence estimate said Kabul could hold out for at least three months. “Core” U.S. team members were working from the Kabul airport, a U.S. official said, while a NATO official said several EU staff had moved to a safer, undisclosed location in the capital.
Taliban makes stance clear
Three Afghan officials told The Associated Press that the Taliban were in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman in the capital. The militants later pledged not to take Kabul “by force” as sporadic gunfire could be heard in the capital. “No one’s life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk,” the Taliban said.
The lightning speed of the Taliban offensive has shocked many and raised questions about why Afghan forces crumbled despite years of U.S. training and billions of dollars spent. Just days ago, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure.
Rapid shuttle flights of Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters near the embassy began a few hours later after the militants seized the nearby city of Jalalabad. Diplomatic armored SUVs could be seen leaving the area around the post.
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