3 years ago
499
Politics|U.S. subject authoritative says a ‘complete Taliban takeover’ is imaginable successful Afghanistan.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/us/politics/afghanistan-taliban.html
Video
transcript
transcript
Taliban Have ‘Strategic Momentum’ successful Afghanistan, U.S. General Says
General Mark A. Milley, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Afghan subject forces had prioritized the extortion of important cities, including Kabul, but that a “complete Taliban takeover” was possible.
The Afghan information forces person the capableness to sufficiently combat and support their country, and we volition proceed to enactment the Afghan information forces wherever necessary, successful accordance with the guidance of the president and the caput of defense. The aboriginal of Afghanistan is squarely successful the hands of the Afghan people. There intelligibly is simply a communicative retired determination that the Taliban are winning. In fact, they are propagating an inevitable triumph connected their behalf. They’re dominating a batch of the airwaves connected that benignant of thing. I would archer you that arsenic of today, much oregon less, I conjecture it’s astir 212, 213. It’s successful that range, 2 hundreds, of the territory centers are successful Taliban control. It’s astir fractional of the 419 that are retired there. You’ve got 34 provincial capitals successful Afghanistan. None of them person been seized, arsenic of today, by the Taliban. Although the Taliban is putting unit connected the outskirts of astir apt astir fractional of them, 17 of them, successful fact. And what they’re trying to bash is isolate the large colonisation centers. They’re trying to bash the aforesaid happening to Kabul. And astir speaking, bid of magnitude, a important magnitude of territory has been seized implicit the people of six, eight, 10 months, benignant of thing, by the Taliban. So momentum appears to be, strategical momentum appears to beryllium benignant of with the Taliban. The Afghan information forces, though, are consolidating their forces. So portion of this is they’re giving up territory centers successful bid to consolidate their forces due to the fact that they’re taking an attack to support the population. And astir of the colonisation lives successful the provincial capitals, successful the superior metropolis of Kabul. There’s a anticipation of a negotiated outcome. That’s inactive retired there. There’s a anticipation of a implicit Taliban takeover oregon anticipation of immoderate fig of different scenarios, breakdowns, warlordism, each kinds of different scenarios are retired there. We are monitoring precise closely. I don’t deliberation the endgame is yet written.
- July 21, 2021, 4:20 p.m. ET
The nation’s apical subject serviceman offered a glum appraisal connected Wednesday of the information concern successful Afghanistan, saying the Taliban had seized “strategic momentum” implicit Afghan subject forces who were falling backmost to prioritize the extortion of important cities, including Kabul, the capital.
The comments by Gen. Mark A. Milley, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed mounting reports from the crushed successful Afghanistan. But his sober, astir clinical, relationship of caller Taliban gains hammered location the point.
“There’s a anticipation of a implicit Taliban takeover, oregon the anticipation of immoderate fig of different scenarios,” General Milley said. “I don’t deliberation the extremity crippled is yet written.”
The Taliban person taken power of much than 210 of Afghanistan’s astir 420 districts successful caller months, General Milley told reporters astatine a Pentagon quality conference. They are besides pressuring fractional of the country’s 34 provincial centers and are aiming to isolate Kabul and different large cities, helium said.
“Strategic momentum appears to beryllium benignant of with the Taliban,” helium said. “There intelligibly is simply a communicative retired determination that the Taliban are winning. In fact, they are propagating an inevitable triumph connected their behalf.”
But General Milley, who appeared alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III successful their archetypal associated quality league since May 6, sought to reassure the Afghan authorities that the United States would proceed to supply humanitarian and information assistance from afar. All American forces person near the country, but for astir 650 troops assigned to defender the U.S. Embassy and the Kabul airport.
Both General Milley and Mr. Austin enactment work for the country’s destiny connected Afghans and their leaders, not the Biden administration. Mr. Austin said that American airstrikes aft Aug. 31, the subject withdrawal deadline, would beryllium reserved for Al Qaeda and different violent targets, not Taliban fighters attacking Afghan forces.
“This is going to beryllium a trial present of the volition and enactment of the Afghan people, the Afghan information forces and the authorities of Afghanistan,” General Milley said.
In effect to the Taliban offensives, hundreds of Afghan troops person surrendered, giving up their U.S.-supplied instrumentality and fleeing, sometimes into neighboring countries. Afghan authorities counterattacks person had constricted success.
General Milley said that galore different Afghan troops were falling backmost to support larger provincial cities. Violence has waned successful the past fewer days with the opening of the Muslim solemnisation of Eid al-Adha, helium said, but the state could scope a turning constituent arsenic warring resumes.
.jpeg)
![Former Trump Exec: Investigation Target Matthew Calamari Really Knows Where the Bodies are Buried [VIDEO]](https://www.politicususa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/190901072352-trump-executive-barbara-res-powerful-women-nr-vpx-00000127.jpg)
English (US) ·