Even the Taliban is shocked at how fast they’re recapturing Afghanistan
Even the Taliban are taken aback at how fast their forces are moving, one commander said, and have actually reportedly slowed down in some cases to avoid, “offending the United States.”
The Taliban is reportedly rapidly recapturing land across Afghanistan at lightning speed as US troops withdraw. They now nearly control 42% of the country on the way to 50% at a much faster pace than expected.
A Taliban commander told NBC News that he was surprised at the speech of their advance and they had even avoided capturing some targets to not provoke the United States.
According to Afghanistan media outlets and eyewitness accounts, the Taliban are advancing in rural areas and near Kabul.
They now hold almost twice as much of Afghanistan as they did just two months ago, raising fresh doubts about whether the Afghan government can survive once U.S. forces depart by September 11th, 2021.
Note: Data as of June 23, 2021 / Sources: FDD’s Long War Journal, Esri’s Disaster Response Program and Natural Earth / Graphic: Jiachuan Wu / NBC News
The Taliban now hold 142 districts, and are fighting for control of about 170 more.
Some Afghan government units have abandoned their weapons and vehicles without a major fight, as local officials reportedly negotiated surrender agreements with the Taliban.
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