Taliban allegedly seized control over Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-biggest metropolis.
The Taliban have blasted their way into Kandahar – Afghanistan's second-largest city – as confirmed by Al Jazeera news. This bold move marks a significant leap in the radical group's takeover plot.
The Taliban's spokesperson, via a Twitter statement, announced the conquest of Kandahar: "Kandahar is ours. Mujahideen have stormed the Square of Martyrs."
Eyewitnesses from the city reported intense skirmishes between the Taliban and government forces. Unfortunate news, all flights from Kandahar Airport have been grounded.
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As the conquest of Kandahar unfolded, a high-ranking government source shared with Al Jazeera that the Afghan government bid for a power-sharing truce with the Taliban, in a desperate plea to halt the escalating violence. The pitch came after the Taliban's recent siege of Ghazni – a city that links Kabul to southern provinces of Afghanistan.
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Background information:
- The Taliban seized Kandahar in 1995, their first major military victory, and it served as their base for further conquests across Afghanistan.
- Kandahar's capture in 1996 solidified their rule over Afghanistan, declaring the country an Islamic Emirate.
- U.S. forces overtook Kandahar in 2001 during Operation Enduring Freedom, marking the end of Taliban rule in major cities.
- The Taliban's 2021 offensive revived after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and they captured Kandahar on August 12, 2021, as part of their countrywide campaign.
Potential Implications:
- Strategic Importance: Kandahar, the Taliban's spiritual stronghold, is critical for their re-establishment of power, providing control over southern Afghanistan and serving as a platform for expansion.
- Humanitarian Crisis: The Taliban's takeover has caused instability, displacement, and human rights concerns, with arbitrary targeting of government officials, security forces, and civilians.
- Economic Consequences: The Taliban takeover has disrupted local economies, intensified poverty levels, and limited access to vital services, worsening humanitarian struggles.
- The Taliban's victory in Kandahar, announced on Twitter by their spokesperson, echoes their historic first major military victory in the city back in 1995.
- The conquest of Kandahar, now a strategic stronghold for the Taliban, links Kabul to the southern provinces and could potentially pave the way for further expansions.
- As the Taliban's conquest of Kandahar escalates the violence in Afghanistan, a high-ranking government source reportedly proposed a power-sharing truce with the Taliban to the media outlet Al Jazeera in a desperate attempt to halt the ongoing conflict.
- With at least 9 provinces under their control, the Taliban's siege of Kabul could follow suit in a month, as predicted by some news sources, intensifying the current political and general-news climate in Afghanistan.
