Taleban Captures Kandahar, Afghanistan's Second Largest City... Kabul on the Brink of Collapse

Kandahar and Herat Captured in One Day
Capital Kabul Surrounded on All Sides...Concerns of Fall Within a Month

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Afghan armed group Taliban has reportedly completely surrounded the capital Kabul by consecutively capturing Kandahar and Herat, the second and third largest cities after Kabul. The U.S. government also announced the deployment of additional troops to evacuate most of the staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, raising concerns that Kabul may fall within the next few weeks.

According to the Associated Press on the 12th (local time), Kandahar, the second largest city in Afghanistan, fell that night, followed by the third largest city, Herat, which was also captured by the Taliban. After previously capturing Ghazni, a strategic point connecting the capital Kabul and southern major cities, the Taliban has now taken control of two more cities, holding 12 out of 34 provincial capitals.

The Taliban is reportedly capturing major cities consecutively without significant fighting. According to the British BBC, the Afghan government forces number about 300,000 on paper, more than four times the Taliban's estimated 75,000 fighters, but are known to suffer from severe desertion and corruption.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Earlier, a report submitted to the U.S. Congress by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) stated that "corruption within the Afghan government forces is widespread and in a serious state," and that "the accuracy of actual troop numbers and combat power data is highly questionable." BBC reported that "even senior officials within the Afghan government forces do not currently know the actual number of government troops."

As the government forces are plagued by corruption and incompetence, more warlords are reportedly defecting to the Taliban. The U.S. Counterterrorism Center (US CTC) estimates the Taliban's core fighters at around 60,000, and including warlords and militias who have recently joined the Taliban, the number reaches approximately 200,000.

With the reinforced forces, the Taliban has succeeded in completely surrounding the Kabul area, raising the possibility that Kabul may fall within weeks. The U.S. and British governments have also announced the deployment of additional troops to evacuate their nationals from Kabul, with prevailing analyses suggesting that the fall of Kabul is only a matter of time. On this day, the U.S. Department of Defense announced the temporary deployment of 3,000 troops to Kabul to evacuate all embassy staff except essential personnel, and the British Ministry of Defense announced plans to send 600 troops.

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