Taliban Victories Raise Fears of Complete Afghanistan Takeover
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Recent Taliban victories in Afghanistan have displaced thousands and raised fears of a complete Taliban takeover. An E.U. official said Tuesday that the Taliban had taken 65% of the country, and U.S. intelligence officials reportedly believe that Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, could fall to the Taliban within 90 days. The warnings came as the Taliban took control of six provincial capital cities within four days; many of these advances were reportedly met with little resistance from Afghan security forces.
President Joe Biden defended the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces on Tuesday, saying, “Afghan leaders have to come together. We lost thousands … of American personnel. They’ve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation. The United States will insist we continue to keep the commitments we made: providing close air support, making sure that their Air Force functions and is operable, resupplying their forces with food and equipment, and paying all their salaries. But they’ve got to want to fight.”
Coverage was widespread across the spectrum on Wednesday and more prominently featured in internationally focused outlets like BBC News and Foreign Policy. Several headlines across the spectrum cut Biden’s full quote down to “they’ve got to fight for themselves.” Only left- and center-rated outlets published original coverage of this story as reported by their correspondents in Afghanistan.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Speed of Taliban Advance Surprises Biden Administration, Dismays U.S. Allies
When President Biden this spring announced the decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, his administration expected the Afghan military to defend key cities and perhaps battle the Taliban to a stalemate.
Before the current Taliban offensive, U.S. officials said they didn’t expect the takeover of any provincial capital until fall at the earliest.
Instead, a carefully planned strategy carried out by the Taliban has produced swift battlefield advances, allowing insurgents to seize a succession of provincial capitals since Friday. Three more fell Tuesday, bringing the total to nine, including several major...
From the Left
Could the Taliban Take Over Afghanistan? Here’s What We Know.
Since international troops began withdrawing from Afghanistan in May, the Taliban have carried out a sweeping military campaign and gained control of much of the country’s rural areas. But for months, the insurgents failed to capture major cities — until now.
Over the past six days, the insurgents have overrun nine provincial capitals across the country, most of them clustered in the north, in a major escalation of their military offensive and a devastating setback for the Afghan government.
The Taliban’s rapid victories have put enormous pressure on Afghan political leaders and the country’s...
From the Right
Afghanistan capital Kabul could fall to Taliban within 90 days, US assesses
The U.S. assesses that the capital of Afghanistan could fall to the Taliban within the next 90 days, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Fox News, just weeks before President Biden plans to completely withdraw U.S. troops from the region following nearly two decades of war.
The Taliban seized three more Afghan provincial capitals and a local army headquarters on Wednesday, attaining control of two-thirds of the nation. The sources said that the intelligence regarding Kabul’s security has been dire for some time.
Pentagon officials told Fox News that the intelligence community updated its assessment...
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