Following US Withdrawal From Afghanistan, Taliban's Influence Continues To Flourish
July 7, 2021, 3:08 am

Following US Withdrawal From Afghanistan, Taliban's Influence Continues To Flourish

According to Sputnik, as most US forces seek to remove all US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban's influence continues to flourish in the region, from the seizure of US-made, Afghan weapons, to the capturing of districts.

Earlier yesterday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the US military has completed more than 90% of its withdrawal process from Afghanistan. The July 6 release also noted that the US has officially transferred seven facilities to the Afghan Ministry of Defense.

Taliban forces at the recently-captured Sultan Khil military base in Afghanistan's Wardak Province invited Sky News to their strategic facility, shortly after engaging with Afghan soldiers for two days.

A Taliban commander revealed to the British outlet that militants acquired a number of weapons and military equipment from the government forces: 70 sniper rifles; 900 guns; 30 Humvees; 20 military pickup trucks; and 15 articulated military trucks.

Many of the Afghan military items seized by Taliban forces were emblazoned with "Property of USA Government," according to the outlet.

The battle in question was just one of many that occurred in northern Afghanistan over the past several days. Per the Associated Press, the Taliban controls a third of Afghanistan's 421 districts and district centers.

Sputnik reported, citing Mohib-ul Rahman, a council member in the northeastern Badakhshan province as saying that "Unfortunately, the majority of the districts were left to Taliban without any fight."

Citing poor morale and low government forces, Rahman said that, of the 10 districts that fell to the Taliban, eight were captured without a fight.

Overall, 195 Afghan districts (49%) are under Taliban control. At least 120 districts have been captured by the militants since May 1, according to estimates by the Long War Journal.

The Afghan government's security issues have been compounded in recent months due to the ongoing pullout of US forces from the area.

As of this article's publication, more than 90% of the pullout has been completed, according to CENTCOM.

Though the US military is slated to complete its withdrawal by September 11, the unified combatant command noted in its Tuesday news release that no further percentages regarding the pullout will be published in the future.

Source: Sputnik

Image source: AP-Sputnik

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.