Reports: Taliban takes key northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif

Aug. 14 (UPI) — The predominant northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif fell into the arms of the Taliban on Saturday because the militants persevered their plan across the country toward the capital of Kabul, in line with multiple experiences.

Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan‘s commercial hub and capital of the province of Balkh, fell to the insurgents after Afghan National Navy units all genuine now withdrew, The Unusual York Instances and CNN reported.

Mazar-i-Sharif used to be the closing final executive stronghold in northern Afghanistan and its descend is perhaps disastrous for the executive. The north has traditionally been the guts of the strongest opposition to the Taliban — native warlords there united to make the so-known as Northern Alliance in the 1990s.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid launched in a tweet that Mazar-i-Sharif had been “fully conquered.”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flew to the besieged city Wednesday where he exhorted executive forces and the warlords to face agency against the Taliban.

President Joe Biden launched Saturday he has approved the deployment of 5,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan to reduction with the withdrawal of American personnel from the country.

That represented a necessary lift from a 3,000-particular person deployment of Marines and troopers launched by the Pentagon Thursday.

Biden said the switch is “in line with the suggestions of our diplomatic, navy, and intelligence groups” and is being made to “be particular we can beget an trim and protected drawdown of U.S. personnel and other allied personnel and an trim and protected evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops right by our mission and those at particular threat from the Taliban plan.”

The president launched he had ordered Secretary of Notify Antony Blinken to toughen Ghani and other Afghan leaders while issuing an assurance that the US “will retain the skill and the vigilance to manage with future terrorist threats from Afghanistan.”

Biden also defended the decision to agree to by with plans instituted by used President Donald Trump to withdraw from “the longest battle in U.S. historic previous.”

“One extra year, or five extra years, of U.S. navy presence wouldn’t beget made a distinction if the Afghan navy can no longer or will no longer raise its enjoy country,” he said. “And an limitless American presence in the guts of 1 other country’s civil war used to be no longer acceptable to me.”

The autumn of Mazar-i-Sharif came finest hours after Ghani said in an address to the nation he is looking out for out to retain a long way flung from “extra instability” because the Taliban expanded their alter to round 20 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.

Among their most modern conquests are the major cities of Kandahar, Lashkar Gah, and Herat — taken as U.S. forces neared the terminate of their withdrawal from a 20-year battle.

Ghani provided condolences to the families of fallen troopers and civilians, and praised the Afghan National Defense and Security Power for their efforts and bravery in his address.

He also said that for the time being the priority is coordination with the ANDSF, and “we are taking serious steps,” because the country faces “serious threats of instability.”

“I am acutely conscious of your concerns about your unusual and future, I’d fancy to mutter you that as your president all my focal level is to retain a long way flung from extra instability, aggression and displacement,” Ghani said. “As a historic accountability, I’m going to endeavor no longer to enable the unusual battle to extra raze harmless other folks and to lose their 20-year good points and abolish public property.

“For these reasons I in fact beget initiated consultations with elders and political figures and assorted ethnic leaders and global partners,” he persevered. “Consultations are below manner and the end result will likely be shared with you all very quickly … I repeatedly wanted success and development of Afghanistan and ought to continue my endeavors.”