- This is a developing story. Follow closely for more updates.
In a rapid offensive by the Taliban, insurgents have seized a radio station in Kandahar and taken to airwaves today after taking over much of southern Afghanistan. This afternoon, the Taliban overran a province south of the capital and a district close by.
Meantime, the United States' first forces of a Marine battalion have arrived in Kabul this weekend to stand guard as the U.S. wastes no time in evacuating all its diplomatic personnel in the country.
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The Taliban's attempt to overrun every nook and cranny of Afghanistan continued today, with its military launching a multi-pronged assault on Mazar-e-Sharif, a major city in northern Afghanistan this afternoon.
The Taliban released a video today in which an unnamed insurgent announced the takeover of the city's main radio station.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had flown to that city on Wednesday to rally the city's defences, and meet with several militia commanders allied with the Afghan government.
And the Taliban today also overran a province south of the capital Kabul.
The situation in Afghanistan is spiralling out of hand as the Taliban have already captured much of northern, western and southern Afghanistan in recent weeks, leaving the Afghan government in control of only a few small cities, as well as the capital, Kabul.
Meantime, the first forces of a Marine battalion have arrived in Kabul today to stand guard as the U.S. prepares to evacuate American diplomats and thousands of Afghans. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said "elements" of a battalion are now in Kabul, and the vanguard of three Marine and Army battalion will arrive at the end of the weekend to help more Americans and their Afghan colleagues leave the country.
Seeing Americans suffer at the hands of the Taliban military is undoubtedly one of Washington's pet hates. That's why the Pentagon is also sending an additional 4,500 to 5,000 troops to bases in Qatar and Kuwait to speed up visa processing for Afghan translators and others who fear the Taliban will take the law into their own hands because of their past work with Americans.
With more than two-thirds of Afghanistan currently besieged, the country's capital of Kabul will soon be isolated, according to the Pentagon.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby: "If you just look at what the Taliban has been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate Kabul."
The lightning pace of the Taliban takeover of much of the country has raised eyebrows.
At the same time, U.S. President Joe Biden has remained adamant the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan will end at the end of the month, insisting the nearly 20 years of combat in Afghanistan will come to an end despite the raging fight.
But sending some 4,000 troops to countries near Afghanistan to help evacuate more Americans is worth its weight in terms of peace of mind, since the Afghan government has failed to exude confidence in staving off the Taliban threat. But the State Department didn't rule out the possibility of evacuating the entire embassy if need be.
The United Nations' Chief also spoke out today. Antonio Guterres said the Taliban's takeovers of provincial capitals have aggravated the situation in Afghanistan.
"The fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces in urban environments is causing tremendous harm. At least 241,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes, and humanitarian needs are growing." Said Guterres.
When the going gets though, the tough get going. The embattled Afghan government says its military is in a state of preparedness for defending the capital. And the United States is dead set against throwing in the towel in peace talks as the Biden administration warned Taliban officials once and for all that the U.S. would retaliate if the Taliban dared attack Americans and civilians during deployments and evacuations.
No word yet on when the Taliban will take over the Afghan capital. While many say the Taliban stopped short of invading the capital, some speculate the takeover of Kabul is just a matter of time.
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