Taliban claim control of most of Afghanistan

[moon]

Taliban claims to control most of Afghanistan after rapid gains
The Taliban have been emboldened by the NATO troop withdrawal and – with peace talks in Doha deadlocked – appear to be pressing for a full military victory.

Opponents of the Taliban offensive prepare for battle at Ghorband district in Parwan province

The Taliban said on Friday it has seized control of 85 percent of territory in Afghanistan, a declaration government officials dismissed as part of a propaganda campaign.

But local Afghan officials said Taliban fighters, emboldened by NATO’s withdrawal, captured an important district in Herat province, home to tens of thousands of minority Shia Hazaras.
Torghundi, a northern town on the border with Turkmenistan, was also captured by the Taliban overnight, Afghan and Taliban officials said.

The recent rapid gains come as foreign forces – including the United States – withdraw after nearly 20 years of fighting.

Afghanistan’s interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said efforts were under way to dislodge the Taliban from their newly acquired positions.

The Afghan government has repeatedly dismissed the Taliban’s gains as having little strategic value, but the seizure of multiple border crossings along with mineral-rich areas will likely fill the armed group’s coffers with new sources of revenue.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/9/taliban-says-it-controls-85-of-afghanistan

Having defeated both the Russian and American invasions it seems unlikely that Afghanistan will ever be invaded again.
I wonder which countries will now be progressive enough to offer the new regime support.

 

[no worries]

Having defeated both the Russian and American invasions it seems unlikely that Afghanistan will ever be invaded again.
I wonder which countries will now be progressive enough to offer the new regime support.

July 4 2021
As the U.S. exits Afghanistan, Beijing is preparing to swoop into the war-torn country and fill the vacuum left by the departed U.S. and NATO troops.

China is poised to make an exclusive entry into post-U.S. Afghanistan with its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source close to government officials in Afghanistan told The Daily Beast that Kabul authorities are growing more intensively engaged with China on an extension of the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)—the flagship project of BRI, which involves the construction of highways, railways and energy pipelines between Pakistan and China—to Afghanistan.

 

[moon]

I've just heard that China bought Afghanistan's reserves of copper and rare Earth minerals years ago- but have been unable to access them.

 

[Althea]

I've just heard that China bought Afghanistan's reserves of copper and rare Earth minerals years ago- but have been unable to access them.

And they probably never will. Sure...China can put 1 million troops in country, but I'm not sure they are prepared for guerilla tactics.

 

[moon]

And they probably never will. Sure...China can put 1 million troops in country, but I'm not sure they are prepared for guerilla tactics.

The Chinese are clever enough to ASSIST the Afghans - not invade them and kill hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians . The name of America stinks in the Middle East and Asia.

War Worth Waging? Afghanistan’s Vast Reserves of Minerals & Natural Gas

August 25, 2017

“The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.

The vast scale of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth was discovered by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists. The Afghan government and President Hamid Karzai were recently briefed, American officials said.

https://www.thelibertybeacon.com/wa...istans-vast-reserves-of-minerals-natural-gas/

 

[reagansghost]

And they probably never will. Sure...China can put 1 million troops in country, but I'm not sure they are prepared for guerilla tactics.

China's military is a joke, their army consists of half starved 5'2" peasants barely able to hold up those AK's let alone take on American troops

paper tiger as they say, fuck the CCP

 

[Althea]

China's military is a joke, their army consists of half starved 5'2" peasants barely able to hold up those AK's let alone take on American troops

paper tiger as they say, fuck the CCP

Again. I'm sure the Taliban will have no problem with Chinese military

 

[dukkha]

China's military is a joke, their army consists of half starved 5'2" peasants barely able to hold up those AK's let alone take on American troops

paper tiger as they say, fuck the CCP

lol
China's PLA is the largest on earth. they are well equipped and professional

 

[BattleofHodow]

China's military is a joke, their army consists of half starved 5'2" peasants barely able to hold up those AK's let alone take on American troops

paper tiger as they say, fuck the CCP

Lol, that sounds like racism against Chinese.

 

[moon]

Taliban claim key Afghan border crossing with Pakistan as insurgent group nets new territories

The Taliban have claimed control over a town in Kandahar province that serves as a major bordering crossing with Pakistan. In response, Pakistani authorities have reportedly halted transport through the checkpoint.
Taliban forces captured Wesh, a town in the southern Afghan province, on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the militant group, Zabihullah Mujahid. He also said that an important road linking to the Wesh-Chaman border crossing with Pakistan was also under their control. Afghan troops reportedly surrendered the key trade route hours earlier following a battle with the Islamist militants.

https://www.rt.com/news/529149-taliban-seize-border-pakistan-afghanistan/


As Taliban runs riot in Afghanistan, new commander of withdrawing US & NATO troops vows to support ‘abandoned’ Afghan forces

The commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan has stepped down, and his Florida-based successor is pledging to support local allies – even as the withdrawal of Western troops sees the Taliban overrunning Afghan fighters.

https://www.rt.com/news/529041-afghanistan-commander-us-resignation/

 

[moon]

WATCH: Taliban fighters ride in Humvees after capturing Nimroz provincial capital & seizing more US-made weaponry

Taliban militants were spotted parading around in US-made Humvees after seizing a major city in Nimroz province, footage shows – the first regional capital to fall to the group as it launches a wave of attacks across Afghanistan.
The militants were seen making victory laps around the city of Zaranj on Friday afternoon in the captured vehicles, having just captured the provincial capital after overrunning Afghan government forces.

https://www.rt.com/news/531392-taliban-capture-us-humvees/

Well-armed with US weaponry the Taliban look like taking Kabul within two or three days. The government's ' army' has collapsed. Many of them were Taliban anyway.

 

[moon]

Taliban seize second Afghan provincial capital in two days
Airport of Sheberghan is only part of northern city to remain under government control following assault by insurgents

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...han-provincial-capital-in-two-days-sheberghan

Was all that US hardware a gift- or did the Taliban buy it ?

 

[moon]

Nobody is even interested enough to speculate ? Why weren't the weapons and other hardware destroyed before the retreat ? It's standard military practice.

 

[moon]

Taliban seize symbolic victory with capture of Kunduz
Insurgent group takes control of first major city amid lightening offensive across Afghanistan

The Taliban have claimed a huge symbolic victory after their fighters seized a large city for the first time in northern Afghanistan as part of a seemingly unstoppable offensive in which they have captured four provincial capitals in just three days.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/08/taliban-seize-symbolic-victory-with-capture-of-kunduz

 

[moon]

Taliban captures 6th provincial capital weeks after rejecting reports of a ceasefire, amid fallout from US withdrawal

The Taliban has seized control of its sixth provincial capital in Afghanistan within a matter of days, according to a spokesperson for the group, as the militants continue to secure territory after America’s military withdrawal.
The military victory for the Taliban was confirmed by the deputy governor of Samangan Province, home to the city of Aibak. Speaking to AFP, Afghanistan official Sefatullah Samangani declared that “the Taliban have captured the city of Aibak and have complete control over it.”

The Taliban formally took control of the city on Monday, after a “senator surrendered” and asked Afghanistan to withdraw its forces from the area to avoid further conflict.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid declared on Twitter that the city center was completely under its control, while the governor, the police chief, the intelligence department, and all its affiliates were cleared.

The capture of Aibak comes days after Taliban militants seized control of the provincial capital of Sar-e Pul and the region’s fifth-largest city. All major government buildings in the two locations have been secured by Taliban fighters, although Afghan soldiers were reportedly trying to retain control of the Kunduz airport.

https://www.rt.com/news/531519-taliban-captures-sixth-provincial-capital/

Astonishing traditional skills; they built that armored vehicle out of discarded US Pepsi cans and poppy resin.

 

[Phantasmal]

The USA was there for 20 years and changed very little. The people cheered as the Taliban entered their city. The country will only change when they want to change.

 

[moon]

The USA was there for 20 years and changed very little. The people cheered as the Taliban entered their city. The country will only change when they want to change.

Why were we there after the original Taliban were crushed ? The encirclement of Iran, I believe. Losing in Syria- and now in Afghanistan- has really upset Izrael's plans to have the US attack Iran for the cause of a Greater Israel.

 

[BidenPresident]

Why were we there after the original Taliban were crushed ? The encirclement of Iran, I believe. Losing in Syria- and now in Afghanistan- has really upset Izrael's plans to have the US attack Iran for the cause of a Greater Israel.

your obsession with israel blinds you to international politics

 

[moon]

your obsession with israel blinds you to international politics

It's an obsession with justice- not just for Palestine but for the world at large. Don't be part of the problem.

 

[BidenPresident]

It's an obsession with justice- not just for Palestine but for the world at large. Don't be part of the problem.

You should provide some evidence that Israel caused the US to occupy Afghanistan for 20 years.