Taleban Seizes 5 Major Cities Including Military Strongholds Near Kabul (Comprehensive)

Concerns Over Kabul's Fall Spread, Evacuation Lines Continue
"US Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan to Proceed as Planned"

On the 8th (local time), the Taliban flag was raised in the main square of Kunduz city, the capital of Kunduz province in Afghanistan, which is occupied by the Islamic militant group Taliban. As most U.S. troops have withdrawn from Afghanistan and the Taliban is launching a full-scale offensive, the two major northern cities, Kunduz and Sar-e Pul, fell to the Taliban one after another on this day. Kunduz, Afghanistan = AP Yonhap News Photo

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Afghan armed group Taliban is pushing back the Afghan government forces by consecutively capturing five major cities, including Kunduz, a key military stronghold near the capital Kabul. As refugees continue to flee to neighboring countries of Afghanistan, concerns about political instability are growing across Central Asia. Despite the rapidly changing situation, the US troops stationed in Afghanistan are reportedly planning to complete their withdrawal by the end of this month as originally scheduled, increasing the likelihood of Kabul's fall and the collapse of the Afghan government.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP) on the 8th (local time), the Taliban forces captured Kunduz, a major city in northern Afghanistan. This city is a military strategic point adjacent to the Afghan capital Kabul. The Taliban announced that they seized the entire city along with Afghan government military bases and captured heavy weapons such as armored vehicles and tanks.

Before capturing Kunduz, the Taliban had successively taken control of major cities including Zaranj, Sar-e Pol, Sheberghan, and Talukan since the 6th. The reason they were able to capture five major cities in just three days is reported to be because the Afghan government forces fled without proper engagement. In particular, Zaranj, the capital of Nimruz province bordering Iran, fell within three hours of the start of the battle.

As the possibility of the fall of Kabul, the Afghan capital, is raised, large-scale refugee flows are continuing. According to The New York Times (NYT), more than 30,000 Afghan residents are reportedly fleeing weekly to neighboring countries such as Tajikistan, Iran, and Pakistan.

However, the Biden administration in the United States is reportedly sticking to the existing US troop withdrawal plan. The AP cited a senior official from the White House National Security Council (NSC) saying, "Despite the rapid expansion of Taliban forces, the US troop withdrawal plan, set for the end of this month, has been decided to be maintained." The AP also reported that over 95% of US troops in Afghanistan have completed their withdrawal so far.

The US Embassy in Kabul also issued a statement on the same day urging, "All US citizens in Afghanistan are urged to leave Afghanistan immediately using available flights," adding, "Considering the current security conditions and personnel reductions, the embassy's capabilities are already extremely limited even within Kabul."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.