Afghanistan’s president blames ‘abrupt’ US exit as Taliban fighters assault cities
- Commandos deployed as Afghan forces battle Taliban for control of cities
- Afghan president warns quick US withdrawal will have consequences
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani blamed the country’s deteriorating security Monday on Washington deciding “abruptly” to withdraw its troops.
“The reason for our current situation is that the decision was taken abruptly,” he told parliament, adding he had warned Washington the withdrawal would have “consequences”.
The president’s statement came as Afghan forces battled to stop a first provincial city from falling to the Taliban following weekend offensives from the insurgents on urban centres in a major escalation in fighting.
Taliban fighters assaulted at least three provincial capitals overnight – Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Herat – after a weekend of heavy fighting that saw thousands of civilians flee the advancing militants.
Fighting raged in Helmand’s provincial capital Lashkar Gah, where the Taliban launched coordinated attacks on the city centre and its prison – just hours after the government announced the deployment of hundreds of commandos to the area.
Fighting has intensified since early May, with the insurgents capitalising on the final stages of the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces after almost 20 years.
01:43
China pledges to support Taliban role in restoring peace in Afghanistan after US withdrawal
“Afghan forces on the ground and by air strikes repelled the attack,” the military in Helmand said of the assault on Lashkar Gah.