WASHINGTON, August 14. /TASS/. The United States has been watching Taliban’s advancement in Afghanistan with concern, hoping that the Afghan government would offer a stronger resistance to the radical movement (outlawed in Russia), Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday.
"We are certainly concerned by the speed with which the Taliban has been moving," he said. "We certainly have been watching what the Taliban is doing. We have noted, and we have noted with great concern the speed with which they have been moving and the lack of resistance that they have faced."
"We want to see the will and the political leadership [of the Afghan government], the military leadership that is required in the field, we still want to see that, and we hope to see that," Kirby added.
In his words, Washington believes that US airstrikes cannot reverse the situation on the ground in Afghanistan.
"Over-the-horizon strikes and capabilities still exist <...> [but] we have never said that airstrikes are panacea," he said. "We've never argued that our airstrikes in the air were going to turn the tide on the ground. What we have said is that the Afghans have the capability to do that. And we still believe that they could make a difference on the ground."
"We will do what we can from the air, but they have the advantage, they have greater numbers, they have an air force, they have modern weaponry. It is indigenous forces that can make a difference on the ground," Kirby said.
No imminent threat to Kabul
The United States believes that Kabul is not under imminent threat at the moment, but the radical Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) is trying to isolate the Afghan capital, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday.
"Kabul is not right now in an imminent threat environment. But clearly, if you just look at what the Taliban has been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate Kabul," he said.
"What they want to do if they achieve this isolation I think only they can speak to, but you can see a certain effort to isolate Kabul. It is not unlike the way they have operated in other places of the country, isolating provincial capitals and sometimes being able to force surrender without necessarily much bloodshed," the spokesman continued.
"We are taking the situation seriously, and that's one of the reasons why we are moving these forces into Kabul to assist with this particular mission, because we know that time is a precious commodity here," Kirby added.
On Thursday, the US administration announced it was reducing the staff of the US embassy in Kabul. About 3,000 US servicemen will be temporarily deployed to the country to ensure their security. However, Pentagon expects about 1,000 servicemen to remain in Kabul to ensure safety of diplomatic workers who continue working in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, the US administration announced it was reducing the staff of the US embassy in Kabul. About 3,000 US servicemen will be temporarily deployed to the country to ensure their security. However, Pentagon expects about 1,000 servicemen to remain in Kabul to ensure safety of diplomatic workers who continue working in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s security situation deteriorated significantly in April after US President Joe Biden announced that the American armed forces’ operation there which became the US’ longest foreign military campaign was coming to an end. Against this background, the radical Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) has been stepping up the pace of its offensive in several directions. According to the data from several open sources as well as the claims of the Taliban itself, the radicals are controlling from 60% to 85% of the country’s territory, including the areas along the border with five countries: Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.