In Afghanistan’s western city of Farah, the Taliban celebrated their take over by dragging the dead body of an Afghan soldier through the streets, chanting “Allah is Great”.
“The situation is under control in the city,” a Taliban fighter claimed. “The Mujahadeen of Islamic Emirate is assuring people that there is nothing to worry about.”
But Afghanistan’s government has a lot to worry about. The terror group is now in control of two-thirds of the country. The 10th provincial capital fell today.
“There is a major crisis of legitimacy within the Afghan government right now. President Ashraf Ghani now finds himself with several major provincial capitals being overrun,” said Seth Jones with Center for Strategic & International Studies.
The former head of British forces in Afghanistan tells CBN News a number of key capitals have fallen without even a fight because morale among Afghan forces has been so decimated following America’s decision to withdraw all troops.
“No matter how much training we put in, no matter how much money we invest, if they don’t feel, if the troops don’t feel they can support and give their lives if necessary for the government, then they won’t do so and that is the reality of the situation,” retired Col. Richard Kemp tells CBN News.
And as they continue to capture key cities, the terror group has been breaching central prisons and releasing thousands of their fighters as well as raiding Afghan government weapons depots.
“They are really stockpiling on people, weapons, supplies for a longer war,” warned Jones.
Caught in the fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban insurgents, hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens are now on the run.
Among them is an Afghan female reporter asking the world to pray for her and others as Taliban soldiers go door-to-door forcing families to give up their daughters, some as young as 12, to be sex slaves for their fighters.
CBN News spoke to one Afghan Christian family that’s also trying desperately to flee the country.
“Many of the Afghan Christians are also leaving,” Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs told CBN News. “They are moving into some of the neighboring countries and others in the country are moving to a different city, moving to a different part of the country to try to get ahead of the Taliban.”
With U.S. and NATO forces set to leave by month’s end, the intelligence assessment is that Afghanistan’s capital Kabul could fall into Taliban hands within 90 days.
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