Armed forces killed 166 of the movement’s militants in overnight clashes
The withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan has boosted the activity of the radical Taliban movement (banned in the Russian Federation) and left a security vacuum in some parts of the country. Chairman of Afghanistan’s High National Reconciliation Council Abdullah Abdullah said on Wednesday.
“The withdrawal of foreign troops has led to an escalation of the war (between the Afghan Armed Forces and Taliban members). Unfortunately, the Taliban took advantage of this and the withdrawal has left a security vacuum in some parts of the country”, – Tolo News quoted Abdullah as saying. He added that he “sees no progress” in the talks in Doha, where Kabul and Taliban representatives are there trying to find approaches to reconciliation.
“They [the Taliban] are making very slow steps in the peace talks, and at the same time they are stepping up activity on the battlefield. <…> There is growing anxiety among the population day after day about the Taliban’s intentions and willingness to make peace”, – he said.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Defence Ministry said Wednesday that the army had killed 166 Taliban fighters in overnight battles in 13 provinces. The Afghan air force has carried out 491 strikes against Taliban positions in the past month. Kabul now has 160 combat aircraft and 76 helicopters in service. In addition, the US has pledged to provide Afghan government forces with more than 40 attack helicopters and seven multi-purpose attack aircraft.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced April 14 that he had decided to end the operation in Afghanistan, which has become the longest overseas military campaign in American history. The United States began this war in October 2001. The withdrawal of American troops began in May. Previously, US troops were expected to be out of Afghanistan by 11 September. At the peak of the US operation in 2010-2013, the number of Western forces in Afghanistan exceeded 150,000. The main U.S. and NATO combat units were withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2014.