The Taliban have now captured the second- and third-largest cities in Afghanistan just weeks before the United States is set to complete its military mission there.
The capture of Kandahar and Herat is the Taliban’s latest and possibly most notable act during their weeklong military surge across the country, where they’ve seized 14 of its 34 provincial capitals, according to CNN.
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Kandahar, which is in southern Afghanistan, is located at the junction of three major highways, giving it strategic importance for both sides.
“Hundreds of weapons, vehicles, and ammunition were seized” when they took control of the Kandahar governor’s office, police headquarters, and other operational centers, the Taliban statement read.
The deteriorating situation in Afghanistan prompted the Biden administration to announce the deployment of thousands of troops Thursday to assist the withdrawal of U.S. diplomats from Afghanistan. The plan is for these troops to be out of Afghanistan by the end of the month, which coincides with the date Biden set for the complete withdrawal, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said during Thursday’s briefing.
State Department spokesman Ned Price characterized the mission as “a reduction in the size of our civilian footprint” and said it’s “not abandonment” or “an evacuation” or “a wholesale withdrawal.”
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The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also urged American citizens in Afghanistan to leave “immediately” on Saturday “using available commercial fight options” because the embassy is “extremely limited” in its “ability to assist” due to “the security conditions and reduced staffing.”
The agency issued a similar directive last week as well, but that was in the infancy of the Taliban’s weeklong blitz.
