| The Taliban entered two provincial capitals in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, local officials said, after around a dozen districts fell to the Taliban—mostly in the country’s north—over the weekend. In Kunduz city, the capital of Kunduz Province, the Taliban seized the city’s entrance before dispersing throughout its neighborhoods. In Maimana, the capital of Faryab Province, Taliban fighters appeared at the city’s entrance before moving into the city’s periphery. Since May 1, when U.S. forces officially began their withdrawal from the country, the Taliban have taken more than 50 districts. Only a small number of districts have been retaken by government forces as the defeats have forced Afghan commanders to consider what territory they can hold following the American departure. Rohullah Ahmadzai, an Afghanistan defense ministry spokesman, said on Saturday, “There is a new, robust and effective plan to retake areas from which we have pulled back our forces.”
On Saturday, in a sign of the deteriorating security situation, the Afghan government appointed a new acting minister of defense, minister of interior, and army chief. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced that he was appointing Bismillah Khan Mohammadi as defense minister, replacing Asadullah Khalid. Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal was picked as new interior minister replacing Hayatullah Hayat, while General Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai was appointed as the new chief of army staff, replacing General Yasin Zia. The cabinet changes still need to be approved by the country’s parliament.
The Taliban said on Sunday they were committed to peace talks, adding they wanted a “genuine Islamic system” in Afghanistan that would make provisions for women’s rights in line with cultural traditions and religious rules. “We understand that the world and Afghans have queries and questions about the form of the system to be established following withdrawal of foreign troops,” said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Taliban’s political office, in the statement, adding the issues were best addressed during negotiations in Doha. Calling for an Islamic system as the best solution to the issues facing all Afghans, he added that women and minorities would be protected and diplomats, and NGO workers would be able to work securely.
President Biden will meet at the White House with Ghani and the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah on Friday to discuss the U.S. troop withdrawal. Biden will seek to reassure Ghani and Abdullah of U.S. support for the Afghan people including diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance, the White House said in a statement. Biden will also repeat his pledge to ensure that the country never becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups. New York Times, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Axios
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