Kabul not facing 'imminent threat' from Taliban: Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby

In a major announcement on August 13, Friday, Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby informed that Kabul does not face an "imminent threat" from Talibani. "Kabul is not right now in an imminent threat environment...(it is) trying to isolate the Kabul," Kirby told during the press meet. The analysis came in after Afghanistan invaded Kandahar and Herat, the two most important cities of the nation.

"If you just look at what the Taliban has been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate Kabul," Kirby told while explaining the Taliban-annexation pattern. He also acknowledged that the rogue militants have earlier followed a similar process of conquest over other provinces i.e. by isolating the capital city. The revised particulars about Talibani overrun comes two days after Pentagon's 'intelligence assessment' suggested that the current uprisings, following the US exit from the nation, could enable the Taliban to capture Kabul in a span of 90 days.

Afghanistan attempts to give a robust response to the terror group

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, on August 2, said that the US's decision of 'sudden' withdrawal of troops amidst the escalation of Talibani violence has further worsened the situation. Meanwhile, in a bid to tackle the cad fundamentalist group, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has appointed a new Army Chief for the Afghan Defence Forces. As per reports, Haibatullah Alizai has replaced Wali Mohammed as the Chief of the Afghan National Army. The appointment comes after the Taliban announced a claim over Ghazni, the 10th province just 100 kilometres southwest of Kabul.

The US stays stern on military exit

Pentagon has acknowledged the deteriorating situation in the war-torn country following the evacuation of US troops after 20 years of military engagement. However, President Joe Biden establishing faith in the Afghan Defence Forces has stayed firm on the withdrawal of US Forces stating that the US "believed" in the Afghan military and the government. "It is their responsibility now," he told during a press conference earlier this month. The Pentagon echoing Biden's thoughts said, "we want to see the will and the political and military leadership that is required in the field," Kirby told on Friday. "Whether it pans out or not, that's really for Afghan's to decide," he added. As per the deadline, the US troops are to evacuate military bases by September 11.

Nevertheless, the Biden administration has authorized the deployment of 3000 troops to ensure the safe shifting of embassy staff and allies of Afghans from Kabul. "The President has ordered a reduction in embassy personnel in Kabul to allow acceleration in the evacuation of Afghan immigrants," Kirby said during the conference. The troops have been divided into three groups to ensure a smoother and safer evacuation process, Kirby explained.

Afghanistan continues to struggle to contain Taliban risings in the provinces

Amidst the US exit, Afghanistan has continued to launch counter-attacks against the cad militants with the help of the US Air Force. The Defence Ministry claimed to have killed over 579 Taliban terrorists and wounded over 161 in the last 24 hours as a part of the ANDSF operations in Nangarhar, Khost, Logar, Paktia, Kandahar, Herat, Farah, Jowzjan, Samangan, Helmand, Takhar, and Kunduz. Furthermore, another 572 were eliminated on August 9, Monday after an airstrike in Laghman, Ghazni, Paktika, Uruzgan, and Sar-e-pol, an official press release by the Defence Ministry informed. 385 Taliban terrorists were killed and 210 others were wounded in Ghazni, Maidan Wardak, Samangan, and Helman.

With inputs from agencies

Image: AP/representative