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Afghanistan
20 Men in Southern Afghanistan Received Lashes Publicly
2022-12-16
[KhaamaPress] 20 people were publicly flogged on Wednesday in the southern Afghan province of Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
for alleged theft, adultery, and other offenses, local authorities said.

The lashings allegedly took place at the sports stadium in Lashkar Gah, the picturesque provincial capital of southern Helmand on Wednesday, December 14, according to Mohammad Qasim Riyaz, a spokesperson for the governor’s office.

According to Riyaz, each man received between 35 and 39 lashings, and the penalties were administered in front of locals, elders, and government officials in the province. He further said that several of the convicts also received prison sentences.

Since assuming control of the country in August 2021, Afghanistan’s new rulers have implemented strict laws that adhere to their version of Sharia, or Islamic law.

This comes after the first public execution in Afghanistan for retribution, which sparked outrage and the request for an immediate halt from countries and international organizations, including the United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
According to Zabihullah Mujahid, the top government front man, the victim’s father carried out the execution in front of a large crowd of onlookers in western Farah province while using an assault weapon.
Link


Afghanistan
Afghan Taliban launch campaign to eradicate poppy crop
2022-06-03
[FoxNews] Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have begun a campaign to eradicate poppy cultivation, aiming to wipe out the country’s massive production of opium and heroin, even as farmers fear their livelihoods will be ruined at a time of growing poverty.
more likely: they will destroy all untaxed and unapproved crops.
On a recent day in Washir district in southern Helmand province, armed Taliban fighters stood guard as a tractor tore up a field of poppies. The field’s owner stood nearby, watching.

The Taliban, who took power in Afghanistan more than nine months ago, issued an edict in early April banning poppy cultivation throughout the country.

Those violating the ban "will be arrested and tried according to Sharia laws in relevant courts," the Taliban deputy interior minister for counter narcotics, Mullah Abdul Haq Akhund, told The Associated Press in Helmand’s provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.
Link


Home Front: WoT
Wisconsin: Mediagenic Afghan Arrested for Sexual Assault
2022-02-10
[PJMedia] The story couldn’t have been more heartwarming. Matiullah Matie, an Afghan refugee who is a husband and father of eight children, cried out "Salaam! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!" as he greeted a family of Hmong refugees. Matie had previously been resettled in Wausau, Wis., and had come to make the new arrivals feel at home. He also took the opportunity to talk at length to the media about his experience as a refugee, and became the exclusive focus of a WSAW report a week later. On Wednesday, however, the mediagenic Matie’s star turn came to a sudden and sickening halt: he was arrested for sexual assault.

Wausau residents did everything they could to make the Matie family feel welcome. WSAW noted that "people have been coming to their home constantly to help them with their immediate needs and to get them connected with community resources." The Maties reciprocated the kindness: "Each encounter greeted with Afghan hospitality, either some milk tea, food, or both." Matiullah Matie explained, "A person to coming here should eat and drink something with us." Marvelous!

The Matie family, said WSAW, once lived in the Afghan city of Lashkar Gah, which Afghans refer to as "Little America." Matie "worked alongside numerous U.S. agencies in Afghanistan including the Marines, Army, USAID, and Spirit of America," and "also spoke publicly against the Taliban
Link


Afghanistan
Taliban: Some Restrictions in Provinces Not Official
2021-09-28
Not official — they want you to choose it voluntarily because not choosing is unofficially very uncomfortable.
[ToloNews] Officials at the Ministry of Culture and Information reacted against a recent statement that imposed limitations on shaving beards and women''s use of smartphones in some provinces, saying this is not the Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
’s official position.

The reaction comes as a letter was reportedly distributed in Kapisa, Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
and Takhar provinces where the shaving and trimming of beards and women's ownership of smartphones was prohibited.

Inaamullah Samangani, a member of the Cultural Commission in the Ministry of Culture and Information, called the statement invalid.

"The Ministry of Virtue and Vice officially announced that the statement has not been issued by the ministry; whatever is on social media is not from the ministry," he said.

Residents of Kapisa province said the Taliban’s provincial department of virtue and vice ordered that the shaving or trimming of beards is prohibited, calling it great sin.

"They told us to not shave and not trim stylistically. Someone who violates this will face legal punishment," said Alem, a hairdresser.

Sadullah Salehi, a local news hound, said: "Residents welcomed some restrictions, like those on expenses of wedding ceremonies and firing in the air, which are included in the statement."

The department of virtue and vice in Helmand province has also banned hairdressers in the province from shaving or trimming beards, saying anyone violating this order will be punished.

Municipal workers in Takhar province also received the same order.

Some leaders said imposing restrictions will not benefit the Taliban. "Such actions harm the Islamic emirate. This makes the world nervous and international recognition will remain impossible," said Sayed Ishaq Gailani, the head of the National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan.

Previously some restrictions were imposed on women’s education and work, and the Taliban has not allowed Afghan girls to resume secondary school.

What they’re going on about:
Taliban issue no-shave order to barbers in Helmand province

[AlAhram] The order in Helmand province was issued by the provincial Taliban government's vice and virtue department to barbers in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital.

``Since I have heard (about the ban on trimming beards) I am heart broken,`` said Bilal Ahmad, a Lashkar Gah resident. ``This is the city and everyone follows a way of living, so they have to be left alone to do whatever they want.''

During their previous rule of Afghanistan, the Taliban adhered to a harsh interpretation of Islam. Since overrunning Kabul on Aug. 15 and again taking control of the country, the world has been watching to see whether they will re-create their strict governance of the late 1990s, Some indication came on Saturday, when Taliban fighters killed four alleged kidnappers and later hung their bodies in the public squares of the western city of Herat.

``If anyone violates the rule (they) will be punished and no one has a right to complain,'' said the note issued to the barbers. It wasn't immediately clear what penalties the barbers could face if they don't adhere to the no shaving or trimming rule.

During the Taliban's previous rule, the conservative Islamists demanded that men grow beards. Since being ousted from power following the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, shaved or cleanly trimmed beards have become popular in the country.

Barbershop owner Sher Afzal in Lashkar Gah said the decree hurts the bottom line. ``If someone comes for a haircut, they will come back to us after 40 to 45 days, so it is affecting our business like any other businesses,'' he said.
Related:
Kapisa: 2021-09-21 Panjshir: Taliban Denies Detaining, Torturing Civilians
Kapisa: 2021-09-04 Panjshir: Fighting Continues Between Taliban, Resistance Forces; Talibs Claim Captured 3 Districts
Kapisa: 2021-08-21 Panjshir & Baghlan: People uprising retake district from Taliban, hospital ER patients rising, Massoud Junior preps for war
Related:
Takhar: 2021-09-13 Uniformed Police to be Stationed in Kabul, former Afghan border police called back for Kabul airport
Takhar: 2021-09-04 Panjshir: Fighting Continues Between Taliban, Resistance Forces; Talibs Claim Captured 3 Districts
Takhar: 2021-08-22 Baghlan: 9 Talbanis surrender to Resistance Forces in Andarab, 6 of them Pak; locals retake 3 districts
Related:
Helmand: 2021-08-27 On social media, Taliban tout trained and US-equipped ‘special forces’
Helmand: 2021-08-24 Mark Steyn: Dead Superpower Walking
Helmand: 2021-08-24 Effective steps taken to eradicate terror network: CM Jam
Related:
Lashkar Gah: 2021-08-13 3,000 troops are heading to Afghanistan to join about 650 troops already there
Lashkar Gah: 2021-08-11 Taliban Control Most of Farah City: Reports
Lashkar Gah: 2021-08-11 Over 4,000 Wounded Afghans Treated by ICRC in 10 Days
Link


Afghanistan
3,000 troops are heading to Afghanistan to join about 650 troops already there
2021-08-13
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

The United Kingdom is also sending military personnel -- about 600 paratroopers -- to Kabul on a short-term basis to provide support to British nationals leaving the country, according to a joint blurb from the Ministry of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The number of staffers working at the British Embassy in Kabul has also been reduced to a core team focused on providing consular and visa services for those needing to rapidly leave the country.

At the Pentagon, Kirby said the Defense Department was sending 3,000 troops from three infantry battalions -- two Marine and one Army -- to Kabul's Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai
...A product, and probably the sole product, of the Southern Alliance...
International Airport to help out with the removal of American personnel from the U.S. Embassy.

They'll be there "temporarily" and will begin shipping out in the next 24 to 48 hours. These numbers are on top of the 650 already in Kabul protecting the airport and the embassy.

An additional 1,000 personnel will be sent to assist with the processing of Afghans who worked as interpreters, guides and other contractors and applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV).

"I want to stress that these forces are being deployed to support the orderly and safe reduction of civilian personnel at the request of the State Department and to help facilitate an accelerated process of working through SIV applicants," Kirby said. "This is a temporary mission with a narrow focus. As with all deployments of our troops into harm's way, our commanders have the inherent right of self defense, and any attack on them can and will be met with a forceful and appropriate response."

A brigade of 3,000 to 3,500 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne will also be sent to Kuwait to preposition in case they are needed further.
Related:
Lashkar Gah: 2021-08-11 Taliban Control Most of Farah City: Reports
Lashkar Gah: 2021-08-11 Over 4,000 Wounded Afghans Treated by ICRC in 10 Days
Lashkar Gah: 2021-08-06 Airstrikes pummel Taliban in south; insurgents gain in north
Related:
Herat: 2021-08-12 Taliban have completely besieged the provincial capital of Badghis and are advancing towards the city center ...
Herat: 2021-08-11 Fighting Underway in Balkh, Takhar Provinces
Herat: 2021-08-11 North Macedonia to buy military equipment from Turkey
Related:
Qala-e-Naw: 2021-07-16 Good Morning
Qala-e-Naw: 2021-07-16 Badghis: Clashes End in Qala-e-Naw After Mediation by Elders
Qala-e-Naw: 2021-07-14 Forces Led by Ex-Jihadi Positioned in Herat to Fight Taliban
Related:
Kabul: 2021-08-11 ‘It was preordained': State Department blames Trump for US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Kabul: 2021-08-11 Drawdown of US embassy in Kabul is under discussion, sources say
Kabul: 2021-08-10 100 Taliban die as Afghan security forces repel attacks in Baghlan
Related:
Kandahar: 2021-08-12 Good Morning
Kandahar: 2021-08-12 Taliban broke open a Kandahar prison and released thousands of their comrades.
Kandahar: 2021-08-11 Taliban Control Most of Farah City: Reports
Link


Afghanistan
Taliban Control Most of Farah City: Reports
2021-08-11
[ToloNews] Reports say that the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
have taken over most areas of Farah city following fierce battles with the Afghan cops.

Sources said that heavy fighting is currently underway in the centers of Badakhshan, Baghlan and Faryab provinces.

Afghan security agencies are not providing information about developments on the frontlines in the north.

"The Taliban launched four attacks on the Farah police headquarters, but we defeated them," said an Afghan soldier in Farah, Zabihullah Atal.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch started the buffalo stampeding......
the International Committee of the Red Thingy (ICRC) reported that it has treated 4,042 weapon-maimed patients at 15 health facilities since the start of August.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians are at risk as fighting intensifies in and around Kunduz, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, and other Afghan cities.

The International Committee of the Red Thingy (ICRC) has called on both warring sides to show restraint and protect civilians and vital infrastructure such as hospitals from attacks, especially in urban areas.

"We are seeing homes destroyed, medical staff and patients put at tremendous risk, and hospitals, electricity and water infrastructure damaged," said Eloi Fillion, ICRC’s head of delegation in Afghanistan. "The use of explosive weaponry in cities is having severe and indiscriminate effects on the civilian population well beyond its target. Many families have no option but to flee in search of a safer place. This must stop."

"The situation is very concerning, the city is under the siege, I don’t know what the government is planning to defend the city," said Bahadur, a resident in Badakhshan.

"The people have a lot of apprehensions about this issue," said Wahid Shayoun, a resident in Badakhshan.

Fighting is also reported in Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan.

"They launched about 100 attacks around Pul-e-Khumri city, but all attacks were repelled," said Baghlan governor Akbar Barakzai.

In Kapisa province, there are reports that the Taliban have recaptured Nejrab district.

"We call on the government to pay attention to Kapisa and support security forces and public uprising forces," said a resident in Kapisa, Kaka Mohammad.

"All people should mobilize behind their defense and security forces, they can prevent the advance of the enemies together," said military analyst Safiullah Safi.

However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well...
sources have said that there has been no plan so far for the recapture of Zaranj, Sheberghan, Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul
...a city and eponymous province in northern Afghanistan, population about 500,000. Demographically it is majority Tadjik and Uzbek. There are small Pashtun, Arab, and Hazara communities, of which the Hazaras mostly don't bother anyone...
, Taluqan and Aibak cities, but the security institutions have not given information about the security developments in the north.

The ICRC says that electricity is out across several contested cities and water supply systems are barely operational in some places. "Many families are trying to leave but cannot find transport to escape or simply do not have the financial means," the ICRC said.

The ICRC and its partner the Afghan Red Islamic Thingy Society (ARCS) say they are operating at full capacity to evacuate the maimed and transport the remains of those killed as a result of the conflict. In July alone, the ICRC helped nearly 13,000 patients suffering from weapon-related injuries across the country, and this number appears likely to rise this month as fighting increases in highly populated areas.

"Health-care facilities, medical workers, and ambulances must be spared at all cost," said Fillion. "We also call on all fighting parties to allow humanitarian organizations like the ICRC and ARCS to safely evacuate the injured and bring much-needed assistance to the civilian population."
Link


Afghanistan
Over 4,000 Wounded Afghans Treated by ICRC in 10 Days
2021-08-11
[ToloNews] Since the beginning of August, 4,042 weapon-maimed patients have been treated at 15 health facilities supported by the International Committee of the Red Thingy (ICRC), an indication of the intensity of the recent violence, the organization said in a statement on Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians are at risk as fighting intensifies in and around Kunduz, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, and other Afghan cities.

The International Committee of the Red Thingy (ICRC) has called on both warring sides to show restraint and protect civilians and vital infrastructure such as hospitals from attacks, especially in urban areas.

"We are seeing homes destroyed, medical staff and patients put at tremendous risk, and hospitals, electricity and water infrastructure damaged," said Eloi Fillion, ICRC’s head of delegation in Afghanistan. "The use of explosive weaponry in cities is having severe and indiscriminate effects on the civilian population well beyond its target. Many families have no option but to flee in search of a safer place. This must stop."

Street-to-street festivities in Kunduz, Lashkar Gah and other cities over the last few days have injured hundreds of civilians even as medical services are heavily strained due to damage to health facilities and a lack of staff, the ICRC said in a statement.

The ICRC says that electricity is out across several contested cities and water supply systems are barely operational in some places. "Many families are trying to leave but cannot find transport to escape or simply do not have the financial means," ICRC said.

The ICRC and its partner the Afghan Red Islamic Thingy Society (ARCS) say they are operating at full capacity to evacuate the maimed and transport the remains of those killed as a result of the conflict. In July alone, the ICRC helped nearly 13,000 patients suffering from weapon-related injuries across the country, and this number appears likely to rise this month as fighting increases in highly populated areas.

"Health-care facilities, medical workers, and ambulances must be spared at all cost," said Fillion. "We also call on all fighting parties to allow humanitarian organizations like the ICRC and ARCS to safely evacuate the injured and bring much-needed assistance to the civilian population."
Link


Afghanistan
Airstrikes pummel Taliban in south; insurgents gain in north
2021-08-06
[AlAhram] The Afghan air force carried out more Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s against Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
positions in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, as the holy warrior force made additional gains in the country's north.

A defense ministry statement said air strikes were carried out across the country, including in the southern Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province, where the historic provincial capital of Lashkar Gah is being fiercely contested. The Taliban control of nine of the city's 10 police districts.

Residents in Lashkar Gah reported heavy bombing near the government radio and television station, which is under Taliban control.

Several wedding halls and a guesthouse of the provincial governor's are all located near the radio and television station.

In northern Afghanistan, the Taliban took control of most of the historic provincial capital of Sar-e-Pul
...a city and eponymous province in northern Afghanistan, population about 500,000. Demographically it is majority Tadjik and Uzbek. There are small Pashtun, Arab, and Hazara communities, of which the Hazaras mostly don't bother anyone...
, the head of its council, Mohammad Noor Rahmani said. In recent months, the group has gained control of dozens of districts across several provinces in the north.

The Taliban onslaught seems to have intensified with the start of the final withdrawal of US and NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
troops in late April. As attacks intensify, Afghan cops and government troops have retaliated with increasing air strikes, aided by the United States.

This has raised growing concerns about civilian casualties across the country.
Link


Afghanistan
​​​​​​​Heavy Clashes Still Ongoing in Herat City
2021-08-05
[ToloNews] Heavy festivities that began in Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
city eight days ago are still ongoing in the southern parts of the city, local officials said on Wednesday.

Afghan cops operations are occurring in the villages in the southern parts of the city, the security officials said, adding that the "Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
has been pushed back from the city."

"The operations are ongoing but slowly, as the Taliban are hidden in residential areas," according to the officials.

Two public resistance force members were killed and 15 others--including three civilians--were maimed in the past 24 hours, according to officials at Herat hospital.

A commander of the 207 Zafar Military Corps named Gulzar said: "There has been fighting in Ghaibatan and Hawad villages over the past three days. Ten Taliban fighters were killed yesterday, and their bodies have been moved by the people."

Mohammad Ismail Khan, former mujahedeen leader who is now leading the fight against the Taliban in Herat along with scores of public resistance forces, said that "the war in Herat city is being led by Pakistain."

He urged the residents of Herat city to rise up against the "clear aggression" of Pakistain, saying: "I want to make it clear that the war in Herat is a war between Pakistain and Afghanistan."

"This is not the Taliban’s war and the Taliban is a tool. Just as the Afghan people did not accept the dominance of the United States, Russia and other superpowers, they should not accept Pak dominance either."

A number of security force members who are battling the Taliban on the frontlines pledged to not allow the Taliban to enter the city.

"The enemy tried hard to enter the city of Herat these days, but we will not allow them to enter the city as long as we still have a drop of blood," said Mohamamd Nasir, a police officer.

A soldier in the Afghan Army Balal Ahmad said: "The Taliban had advanced but we pushed them back and they will never take the city of Herat."

Hundreds of families have been displaced during the fighting over the past eight days.

"The Taliban come to our area but when the security forces come, they run away. People are in a lot of trouble because of the war," said Abdul Qayoum, a resident of Herat.

Officials claimed that 30 Taliban were killed in the past 24 hours of fighting, however, the Taliban has not yet commented on their casualties in the festivities.
Related:
Herat: 2021-08-04 Herat: City populace marched against Taliban as fight continues
Herat: 2021-08-04 375 Taliban killed in past 24 hours: MoD
Herat: 2021-08-04 Afghan army urges civilians to evacuate Lashkar Gah besieged by Taliban ahead of military offensive
Link


Afghanistan
The Taliban claim responsibility for a car bomb attack on the residence of Afghanistan’s acting defense minister
2021-08-05
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

The Taliban
...Arabic for students...
grabbed credit on Wednesday for a car kaboom on the residence of Afghanistan’s acting defense minister, while a blast near the office of the main security agency in Kabul just hours later maimed three people.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the group targeted the residence on Tuesday night, adding that an important meeting was underway at the time.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

The defense minister survived, but the attack represented a deterioration in the country’s security situation and a sign that the capital was at risk of violence as the turbans take control of swathes of territory.

The blast targeted a heavily fortified area of the capital, which has in recent weeks largely been spared the violence hitting other parts of the country.

The Ministry of Interior said at least eight non-combatants were killed and 20 maimed in the incident.

On Wednesday morning, another explosion took place near a facility of Afghanistan’s main security agency in the capital, wounding two civilians and a security official, police said. No group immediately took responsibility for the blast.

The Taliban have stepped up their campaign to defeat the US-backed government since April as US-led foreign forces complete their withdrawal after 20 years of war.

Fighting has been particularly heavy around the city of Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
, near the western border with Iran, and Lashkar Gah and Kandahar in the south.

The late Tuesday bomb-and-gun attack in Kabul was aimed at acting Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi and other politicians. Government forces battled the unidentified button men for more than four hours. Mohammadi survived.

An Afghan military front man said an emergency had been declared in Lashkar Gah and government forces were getting reinforcements and US air support.

"Special forces have been sent to the area. They are in good morale," armed forces front man General Ajmal Omar Shinwari told Rooters.

The loss of Lashkar Gah would be a huge blow for the government, which has pledged to defend strategic centers after losing many rural districts to the Taliban in recent months.

Scores of families have fled from their homes in the small city, capital of Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province, as government forces launched a counterattack against the Taliban.

The United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
reported on Tuesday that at least 40 civilians had been killed in Lashkar Gah in the previous 24 hours.

Taliban fighters had taken control of some radio and TV stations in the city and were moving into homes to stop people from helping government forces, residents said.

Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin remarks (Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited):
The Taliban have officially claimed responsibility for yesterday's car bombing in Kabul, calling the attack a "martyr operation."

The grouping statement states that the attack is a partial Taliban response to attacks and airstrikes by military subordinates of the Kabul administration on civilians in Afghanistan.

In response, the Taliban announced that they would target key figures in the Afghan government and various officials involved in attacks on civilians. De facto, high-ranking officials of the Ghani regime have been declared legitimate military targets, which of course will not bring the agreements between the government and the Taliban closer.

As a result of yesterday's attack in Kabul, 8 people were killed and 20 injured.

The militants blew up a car near the residence of the Minister of Defense and broke into its territory, where a long battle began with the minister's security. Among those killed are both militants (it is stated that at least 3 out of 4 attackers were killed) and guards, plus a woman was caught and killed in the street by an explosion. The minister was not hurt, so the liquidation attempt failed, although the Taliban demonstrated that he has long enough arms to try to eliminate the functionaries of the Ghani government right in Kabul.

More videos of the aftermath can be seen here and here
Link


Afghanistan
Afghan army urges civilians to evacuate Lashkar Gah besieged by Taliban ahead of military offensive
2021-08-04
[Iran Press TV] A senior Afghan commander charged with defending the capital of Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
Province, Lashkar Gah, from advancing Talibs has urged civilians to evacuate the besieged southern city as soon as possible ahead of a planned army offensive to repel the murderous Moslems.General Sami Sadat, whose troops are manning barricades in the city, said in a message on Tuesday that civilians had to "leave as soon as possible so that we can start our operation."

"I know it is very difficult for you to leave your houses — it is hard for us too — but if you are displaced for a few days, please forgive us," he added. "We are fighting the Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
wherever they are. We will fight them and... we will not leave a single Taliban alive."

The remarks came hours after the general warned of consequences for global security if the city fell to the murderous Moslems.

The latest reports indicate that fighting is taking place near Lashkar Gah’s prison and a building housing the headquarters of police and intelligence agencies. The hard boyz have already seized more than a dozen local radio and TV stations in the city after days of heavy fighting.

The United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
(UN) said on Tuesday that at least 40 civilians had been killed and more than 100 maimed in the previous 24 hours of fighting in the southern city.

Several bucolic provincial capitals have been encircled by the Taliban, and heavy fighting has been going on for days now in the capitals of Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the south, and in the city of Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
in the west.

Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin adds:
Street fighting continues in Lashkar Gah, which is complemented by airstrikes by the US Air Force and the Afghan Air Force, which are trying to support the military entrenched in the city. The Afghan army is asking residents to leave the fighting areas, as both new airstrikes and a "powerful counterattack" are envisaged, which will push Taliban troops away from Lashkar Gah.

For these purposes, an intensive regrouping of troops is now being carried out and a counter-offensive was promised literally the other day. Locals say they are caught in the millstones of Taliban militants who are establishing Sharia law and a government that is indiscriminately bombing neighborhoods in Lashkar Gakh, killing both militants and civilians.

In this regard, the government says that civilians should be brought down from there, since the militants can use them as human shields. The Taliban responded by saying that for the killed civilians he will repay with blood.

Meanwhile. according to the UN, as a result of the hostilities in Lashkar Gah, 40 civilians have been killed and 118 wounded in the last 24 hours alone.
Related:
Lashkargah: 2021-08-02 Fighting Continues in Key Areas of Lashkargah for 2nd Day
Lashkargah: 2021-08-01 Taliban begins Sharia Law in Helmand, are pushed back in 4 provincial capitols
Lashkargah: 2021-07-31 Fighting continues in Helmand

Link


Afghanistan
Timeline: Taliban's Sweeping Offensive
2021-08-04
[AnNahar] With the exit of U.S.-led foreign forces in Afghanistan near completion, the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
has ramped up its offensive, capturing half the country's districts and border crossings and encircling several lovely provincial capitals.

A recap since the sweeping offensive began in May:

- FIERCE FIGHTING -
At the start of May, NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
begins a concurrent withdrawal of its mission in Afghanistan involving 9,600 soldiers, 2,500 of which are American.

Intense fighting breaks out between the Taliban and government forces in the southern Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province and the turbans capture Burka in northern Baghlan province.

A kaboom outside a girls' school on May 8 in Kabul kills 85 mostly girl students in an attack, the deadliest in a year, that is not claimed by any group but blamed on the Taliban.

Mid-May, U.S. forces withdraw from the air base in Kandahar, one of the largest in the country.

- TALIBAN ADVANCES -
The turbans seize districts in Wardak province, 40 km (25 miles) from Kabul, and take control of districts in restive Ghazni, a key province between two roads connecting Kabul to Kandahar, the second-largest city.

In mid-June, the Taliban claim to have captured several districts in the northern provinces of Faryab, Takhar and Badakhshan, forcing military leaders to strategically retreat from a number of areas.

- KEY BORDERS -
The Taliban takes control of the main Shir Khan Bandar border crossing with Tajikistan, prompting the country on June 22 to check the combat readiness of its armed forces.

The turbans seize other routes to Tajikistan too, as well as the districts leading to Kunduz, capital of the province of the same name, about 50 kilometers from the Tajik border in northern Afghanistan.

- U.S. LEAVES BAGRAM -
Officials on July 2 announce the departure of all U.S. and NATO troops from Bagram, Afghanistan's biggest air base, which served as the linchpin for U.S.-led operations in the country for the past two decades.

Two days later, the Taliban seize the key district of Panjwai in Kandahar, their birthplace and former bastion.

- KEY PORT -
The Taliban announce on July 9 they have captured Afghanistan's biggest border crossing with Iran, Islam Qala, one of the major ports through which Kabul conducts most of its official trade with the Islamic Theocratic Republic.

- AIRPORT -
Afghan authorities say on July 11 they have installed an anti-missile system at Kabul airport to counter incoming rockets.

Days later on July 14, the turbans took control of Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistain, also a key trade route between the two neighboring countries.

On July 22, the turbans claim they now control 90 percent of Afghanistan's borders. Earlier in the month, they said they controlled 85 percent of the country's territory, figures disputed by the government and impossible to independently verify.

Three days later U.S. General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the U.S. Army Central Command, says the U.S. military will carry out more air strikes in support of Afghan forces and to stem the Taliban offensive.

- URBAN CENTERS -
In a sharp escalation over the weekend, the Taliban offensive focuses on urban centers. Overnight the turbans assault at least three lovely provincial capitals -- Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
On Monday, the government announces the deployment of hundreds of commandos to the area of Lashkar Gah in a bid to stop a first major city from falling to the Taliban.

The capture of any major city would take the Taliban's offensive to another level and fuel concerns about the ability of the Afghan military.
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