Top US commander quits post; Taliban make gains in Ghazni
Miller relinquishes his position at a ceremony in Kabul, in a symbolic end to America’s longest conflict; Taliban surround Ghazni, taking over civilians’ homes to fight security forces, say officials
The top US commander in Afghanistan relinquished his position at a ceremony in the capital Kabul on Monday, in a symbolic end to America’s longest conflict even as Taliban insurgents gain momentum.
Meanwhile, Taliban fighters have surrounded the city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan, taking over civilians’ homes to fight security forces, officials said on Monday, the latest urban centre under threat from the insurgents.
“The situation in Ghazni city is very critical... the Taliban use civilian houses as hideouts and fire upon the ANDSF (Afghan security forces), this makes the situation very difficult for the ANDSF to operate against the Taliban,” said Hassan Rezayi, a member of Ghazni’s provincial council.
Locals said clashes between the two sides are also continuing in the southern province of Kandahar where the Taliban traditionally have had a strong presence and where special forces had been sent to defend the province.
Ghazni is on the main road between Kabul and Kandahar province.
Meanwhile, another four-star general will assume authority from his Us-based post to conduct possible air strikes in defence of Afghan government forces, at least until the US withdrawal concludes by Aug.31.
Gen. Scot Miller has served as America’s top commander in Afghanistan since 2018. He handed over command of what has become known as America’s “forever war” in its waning days to Marine Gen. Frank Mckenzie, the head of US Central Command. Mckenzie will operate from Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
The handover took place in the heavily fortified Resolute Support headquarters in the heart of Kabul at a time of rapid territorial gains by Taliban insurgents across Afghanistan.
In a flag-passing ceremony, Miller remembered the US and Nato troops killed in the nearly 20year war as well as the thousands of Afghans who lost their lives.
He warned that relentless violence across Afghanistan is making a political setlement increasingly difficult. The outgoing commander said he has told Taliban officials “it’s important that the military sides set the conditions for a peaceful and political setlement in Afghanistan. ... But we know that with that violence, it would be very difficult to achieve a political setlement.”
The Afghanistan National Defence and Security Forces, mostly funded by the United States and Nato, have put up resistance in some parts of the country, but overwhelmingly Afghan government troops appear to have abandoned the fight.
In recent weeks, the Taliban have gained several strategic districts, particularly along the borders with Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib, who atended the handover, said the US and Nato withdrawal has let a vacuum that resulted in Afghanistan’s national security forces stranded on the batlefield without resupplies, sometimes running out of food and ammunition.
In comments ater the ceremony, Mohib said the greatest impact of the withdrawal is a lack of aircrat to resupply troops. Currently, the government is regrouping to retake strategic areas and defend its cities against Taliban advances.
The Taliban control more than one-third of Afghanistan’s 421 districts and district centres. A Taliban claim that they control 85% of the districts is widely seen as exaggerated.
Ater Miller’s departure, a two-star admiral based at the US Embassy in Kabul will oversee the US military’s role in securing the American diplomatic presence in Kabul, including defending the Kabul airport.
Miller’s departure does not reduce the scope of the US military mission in Afghanistan, since Mckenzie will assume the authorities now held by Miller to conduct air strikes in defence of Afghan government forces under certain circumstances. The conditions under which such strikes might be used are not clear, nor is it known for how long Mckenzie will keep the strike authority.
A deal the US struck with the Taliban in February 2020 included a promise from the insurgent movement not to atack the US and Nato troops, a commitment it appears they have largely kept.