Kabul: July 25, 2021- (TDI): US Defense Secretary and Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin responded to reporters’ questions in Alaska and stated that as Afghan security forces are planning to reinforce forces around key strategic areas of the country, their priority should be to decelerate the Taliban’s pace before trying to regain the land.
Austin told reporters that Afghanistan’s military is changing its combat strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces on the most crucial districts. According to him, the United States is slated to finish its operation in Afghanistan on August 31st, under President Joe Biden’s orders. He added that the Afghans had the potential and ability to make progress, but that we would have to wait and see what happened.
It is important to underline that the Taliban are making rapid territorial advances, which are frightening Afghan security forces at a time of U.S withdrawal. Their politically risky policy appears to be a military necessity as the Afghan army attempts to avoid the fall of provincial capitals, which may fundamentally divide the country.
