Taliban gaining control of Afghanistan

Peter Neumann

Inserted 2 years ago

“The supporters of Al Qaeda are all celebrating this. It's a victory over America, which is what they hope to achieve - these fighters coming down from the mountains to defeat the United States. A lot of groups will piggyback on this victory in propaganda terms - if the Taliban can do it, you can do it.”

Nytimes

Professor of security studies at King’s College London

17 Aug 2021 3 3

Jake Sullivan

Inserted 2 years ago

“It is certainly the case that the speed with which cities fell was much greater than anyone anticipated. At the end of the day, despite the fact that we spent 20 years and tens of billions of dollars to give the best equipment, the best training and the best capacity to the Afghan security forces, we could not give them the will and they ultimately decided that they would not fight for Kabul and they would not fight for the country.”

Taipeitimes

US National Security Adviser

16 Aug 2021 4 3

Wang Jin

Inserted 2 years ago

“All the uncertainties surrounding the future of Afghanistan and regional and global affairs, as well as the current chaos in Afghanistan and the fears and worries of the Afghan people, are attributed to the US, which is leaving Afghanistan in an irresponsible manner. Although Biden claimed that it is the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide how they want to run their country, it cannot hide the US' responsibility for the turmoil in Afghanistan.”

Globaltimes

Associate professor at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies, Northwest University

16 Aug 2021 4 4

Sultan Barakat

Inserted 2 years ago

“The speed of the Taliban's advance and the lack of resistance faced so far have come as a surprise to all sides including the Taliban leaders themselves. But this should not blind anyone to the fact that throughout modern history, no single political, religious or ethnic group, regardless of its size, has been able to enjoy full hegemony and legitimacy across a piece of land without reaching a political settlement with all other groups. The Taliban has made electrifying advances precisely because it has realised that it cannot hold and maintain control based on an exclusive narrative of Pashtun nationalism. Rather, local alliances are being made in the north with local Uzbek, Tajik, and other communities. Military force was never a solution in Afghanistan and cannot bring peace and prosperity to the country today.”

Aljazeera

Director of the Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute

15 Aug 2021 4 4

Yongbiao Zhu

Inserted 2 years ago

“The Taliban's progress is faster than expected. Previously, many observers worldwide expressed concern that the Taliban's military actions would cause a massive humanitarian crisis, but in fact, the Taliban's performance has not been bad so far. We didn't see massacres or women get abused, and most major cities were captured without a fight. There are some accusations against the Taliban, but we didn't see hard evidence yet. The US embassy's evacuation also didn't get interrupted or attacked even though the Taliban troops have already entered Kabul. All of this shows that the war won't end violently.”

Globaltimes

Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies in Lanzhou University

15 Aug 2021 3 3

Tobias Ellwood

Inserted 2 years ago

“Whatever happened to 'America is back'? People are bewildered that after two decades of this big, high-tech power intervening, they are withdrawing and effectively handing the country back to the people we went in to defeat. This is the irony. How can you say America is back when we're being defeated by an insurgency armed with no more than [rocket-propelled grenades], land mines and AK-47s?”

Washingtonpost

15 Aug 2021 2 3

Haroun Rahimi

Inserted 2 years ago

“He's not in control anymore, and it's not about President Ghani [Ashraf Ghani] anymore. It's about making the transition as bloodlessly, orderly and as swiftly as possible. The fight is at the doors of Kabul. The reporting shows Kabul is being encircled. Time is not on the government's side.”

Aljazeera

Assistant professor of law at the American University of Afghanistan

14 Aug 2021 3 3

Rob McBride

Inserted 2 years ago

“The resistance has crumbled really very quickly. Mazar-i-Sharif was seen as almost like a fortress in defiance of the Taliban - it was heavily defended and there was ongoing fighting for a number of days. Mazar-i-Sharif was really on its own in this vast expanse of northern Afghanistan. It would have been difficult to keep it supplied; it would have been difficult with food and ammunition and all the rest. Which may have affected [the gov't forces'] resolve.”

Aljazeera

Al Jazeera’s journalist reporting from Kabul

14 Aug 2021 2 4

António Guterres

Inserted 2 years ago

“The message from the international community to those on the warpath must be clear: seizing power through military force is a losing proposition. That can only lead to prolonged civil war or to the complete isolation of Afghanistan.”

Aljazeera

Secretary-general of the United Nations

13 Aug 2021 3 3

Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal

Inserted 2 years ago

“We are working in three phases. The first is to stop the defeats [of the government forces], the second is to re-gather our forces to create security rings around the cities. All those soldiers that abandoned their posts, we're bringing them back to their posts. The third is to begin offensive operations. At the moment, we're moving into the second phase.”

Aljazeera

Afghanistan Interior Minister

11 Aug 2021 1 3

Jen Psaki

Inserted 2 years ago

“Ultimately, our view is that the Afghan national security defence forces have the equipment, numbers and training to fight back, which will strengthen their position at the negotiating table.”

Aljazeera

White House spokeswoman

10 Aug 2021 2 3

Rob McBride

Inserted 2 years ago

“Quite a few [internally displaced] of them are coming here to the relative safety of the capital, but they are putting a large strain on resources here. The Red Cross is saying that in its clinics in the past 10 days, they have been treating more than 4,000 people, civilians caught up in this conflict.”

Aljazeera

Al Jazeera’s journalist

10 Aug 2021 2 3

Shahla Abubar

Inserted 2 years ago

“This afternoon the Taliban entered the city of Farah after briefly fighting with the security forces. They have captured the governor's office and police headquarters.”

Aljazeera

Member of Farah’s provincial council

10 Aug 2021 2 2

John Kirby

Inserted 2 years ago

“These are their military forces, these are their provincial capitals, their people to defend and it's really going to come down to the leadership that they're willing to exude here at this particular moment.”

Reuters

Pentagon spokesman

09 Aug 2021 1 3

Ziauddin Zia

Inserted 2 years ago

“Right now the Taliban are fighting [in Aybak] with Afghan forces to capture the police headquarters and compound of the provincial governor. Several parts of the capital have fallen to the Taliban.”

Reuters

Lawmaker in Aybak capital of the northern Afghan province of Samangan

09 Aug 2021 3 3

Sayed Jawad Hussaini

Inserted 2 years ago

“We are so tired, and the security forces are so tired. At the same time, we hadn't received reinforcements and aircraft did not target the Taliban on time.”

Nytimes

Deputy police chief of a district in Kunduz city

08 Aug 2021 1 4

Mohammad Noor Rahmani

Inserted 2 years ago

“Government headquarters [in Sar-e Pul], including the governor's house, police command, and the National Directorate of Security compound, are captured by the Taliban.”

Reuters

Provincial council member of Sar-e Pul province in Afghanistan

08 Aug 2021 2 2

Amruddin Wali

Inserted 2 years ago

“Heavy clashes started yesterday afternoon. All government headquarters are in control of the Taliban, only the army base and the airport is with ANDSF (Afghan security forces) from where they are resisting the Taliban.”

Reuters

Provincial lawmaker in Kunduz (Afghanistan)

08 Aug 2021 3 2

Charlotte Bellis

Inserted 2 years ago

“The Taliban put out a statement saying they have taken the city of Sherbegan and therefore the province of Jawzjan. They said this happened earlier this afternoon. The government is denying the Taliban have a taken full control of the city. The Ministry of Interior have told us they are going to launch a counter-offensive, that they are sending reinforcement, special forces and have started air strikes.”

Aljazeera

Al Jazeera’s journalist reporting from Kabul

07 Aug 2021 3 3

Qader Malia

Inserted 2 years ago

“The city [Sheberghan] has unfortunately fallen completely. The [government] forces and officials have retreated to the airport.”

Aljazeera

Deputy governor of Sheberghan in Jawzjan province (Afghanistan)

07 Aug 2021 2 2

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“He's not in control anymore, and it's not about President Ghani [Ashraf Ghani] anymore. It's about making the transition as bloodlessly, orderly and as swiftly as possible. The fight is at the doors of Kabul. The reporting shows Kabul is being encircled. Time is not on the government's side.”

“The message from the international community to those on the warpath must be clear: seizing power through military force is a losing proposition. That can only lead to prolonged civil war or to the complete isolation of Afghanistan.”

“Ultimately, our view is that the Afghan national security defence forces have the equipment, numbers and training to fight back, which will strengthen their position at the negotiating table.”

“This afternoon the Taliban entered the city of Farah after briefly fighting with the security forces. They have captured the governor's office and police headquarters.”

“These are their military forces, these are their provincial capitals, their people to defend and it's really going to come down to the leadership that they're willing to exude here at this particular moment.”

“Right now the Taliban are fighting [in Aybak] with Afghan forces to capture the police headquarters and compound of the provincial governor. Several parts of the capital have fallen to the Taliban.”

“We are so tired, and the security forces are so tired. At the same time, we hadn't received reinforcements and aircraft did not target the Taliban on time.”

“Government headquarters [in Sar-e Pul], including the governor's house, police command, and the National Directorate of Security compound, are captured by the Taliban.”

“Heavy clashes started yesterday afternoon. All government headquarters are in control of the Taliban, only the army base and the airport is with ANDSF (Afghan security forces) from where they are resisting the Taliban.”

“The city [Sheberghan] has unfortunately fallen completely. The [government] forces and officials have retreated to the airport.”

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