Bloodshed in Afghanistan

For quite some time now the Afghanistan issue is back to headlines in different dailies and magazines world over. After the decision of the Joe Biden administration to withdraw troops from Afghanistan the Taliban is making all out efforts to capture the districts in a planned and focused manner. Out of the 407 districts the Taliban claim that they are in control of more than 85 per cent of the territory. In the meanwhile the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan is nearing 90 per cent of its completion, the Pentagon’s central command announced.

There is no denying the fact that over the past two and half months Taliban has indeed made rapid territorial gains.This has been a great concern not only for the Afghan government but also has been a grave worry for the regional powers.

The US has said that regional consensus and support for an Afghan led and owned peace process is important as their neighbours and countries in the region have a real stake in the war-torn nation’s future.It seems most of the recent victories are in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takharwhich had resisted Taliban rule in the 1990s.In several northern districts ,Afghan troops have either surrendered or retreated. It is said that if the north, home to Afghanistan’s elite leaders, is lost, the possibility of an imminent collapse of the government in Kabul would definitely increase. Though it is given to understand that the government is still in control of the state capitals and some cities but they are practically surrounded from all sides by the Taliban.A report is of the opinion that given the rapid pace of the Taliban’s advancement in the rural areas it is possible they will be in a position to launch an offensive to take the highly populated centres once the foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

Political observers are of the view that a violent takeover of the country by the Taliban, like in 1996 ,would not serve anybody’s interests.On the otherside the Taliban would also not find international legitimacy if they capture Kabul through bloodshed.

About Post Author