UN Chief Urges Taliban To Stop Its Afghan Offensive As The Terror Group Encircles Kabul

As the Taliban advances towards Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, urged the terror outfit to immediately halt

As the Taliban advances towards Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, urged the terror outfit to immediately halt their Afghan offensive and negotiate in good faith to avert prolonged civil war. Speaking to reporters in New York, he expressed his concerns that the Taliban were imposing severe restrictions on human rights targeting women and journalists. The UN is currently monitoring the alarming takeover of the Taliban and is moving some staff to the capital Kabul, but is not evacuating anyone.

UN chief urges Taliban to stop advance to Kabul

“This is the moment to halt the offensive. This is the moment to start serious negotiation. This is the moment to avoid a prolonged civil war, or the isolation of Afghanistan. It is particularly horrifying and heartbreaking to see reports of the hard-won rights of Afghan girls and women being ripped away from them,” said Guterres.

On Friday, the Taliban took seized close to a hundred US Humvees and MaxxPro MRAPs at Kunduz Airport along with several US ScanEagle drones, as they encircled Kabul where the government is currently placed.  US military officials estimate that  Kabul could fall in 30 days as Taliban sweeps across Afghanistan. Moreover, US officials added that the Taliban could gain full control of the country within a few months after the fall of Herat, Kandahar and Lashkar Gah to Taliban control.

US sends additional troops to Afghanistan

Earlier in the day, the United States announced that it will be sending an additional 3000 troops to Afghanistan to support the orderly evacuation of civilian personnel. Talking to reporters in Washington, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that apart from 3000 troops, over  3,500 US troops will be on standby in Kuwait and 1,000 military personnel will head to Qatar to help to process Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants. US has set 11 September 2021 as the deadline for troops withdrawal – 20 years after the Twin towers were attacked.  

On Thursday, Afghan officials say the Taliban have taken another provincial capital, the southern city of Kandahar –  the second-largest city in the entire country. The officials said Kandahar fell on Thursday night and that government officials and their entourage managed to flee to the airport to escape the city by air. Later, Herat and Lashkar Gah too fell to Taliban which is now gradually encircling the government in the capital, Kabul.  Meanwhile, in Doha where peace talks are being held between various states, the Afghan government and the Taliban, envoys from the United States, China and others called for an accelerated peace process for Afghanistan as a “matter of great urgency” and for an immediate halt to attacks on provincial capitals and cities in Afghanistan. They also reaffirmed that foreign capitals would not recognise any government in Afghanistan “imposed through the use of military force”. 

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