The U.S. State Department said special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has traveled to Doha, Qatar, for talks with representatives from the Taliban and the Afghan government amid a Taliban offensive (Axios)
He warned the Taliban today that any group that uses force to come to power won’t be recognized internationally (Associated Press)
Khalilzad will also discuss Afghanistan’s security situation with envoys from China, Pakistan, and Russia (Voice of America)
The talks come as the Taliban has taken over several of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals and the United States has carried out air strikes against the group in recent days (New York Times)
Taliban Seizes Six Provincial Capitals in Afghanistan Within a Week
The Taliban has captured six of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals, including much of the city of Kunduz, in less than a week (Al Jazeera, TOLOnews)
Taliban Claims Killing of Top Afghan Media Officer
The Taliban claimed it was behind the assassination of Dawa Khan Menapal, the Afghan government’s top media official, in Kabul (Reuters)
The group had warned in previous days that it would target senior Afghan officials in response to increased air strikes (Al Jazeera)
Taliban Target Acting Afghan Defense Minister
At least eight people were killed and more than twenty others were injured in a car-bomb attack in Kabul targeting Afghanistan’s acting defense minister, the interior ministry said; the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination (Washington Post)
Separately, a spokesperson for Turkey’s foreign ministry called newly announced U.S. rules for Afghans applying for refugee status an “irresponsible decision taken without prior consultation.” The rules require Afghans who worked with U.S. troops, nongovernmental organizations, and media to apply from outside Afghanistan, which Ankara said will cause a major refugee crisis that Turkey cannot bear (Hurriyet)
U.S. Announces New Rules for Special Afghan Refugee Status
The United States expanded eligibility for special refugee status for Afghans to include current and former employees of U.S. news organizations, U.S.-based aid groups, and other relief groups that receive U.S. funding. Applicants will have to apply for refugee status from outside Afghanistan, a requirement that critics said will exclude poorer Afghans (Associated Press)
Fighting Intensifies in Three Major Afghan Cities
Taliban fighters intensified their attacks around the cities of Herat, Lashkar Gah, and Kandahar after previously focusing offenses on small cities and rural areas. The Afghan government sent reinforcements to counter them (BBC)
First Flight of Afghans Who Aided U.S. Military Arrives in United States
About two hundred Afghan translators and interpreters who aided U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan arrived in the United States after being approved for special visas. An estimated twenty thousand Afghans have applied for such visas (CNN)
Watchdog: U.S. Spent Billions on Afghanistan But State Capacity Remains Low
The U.S. Congress’s independent watchdog on Afghanistan concluded in its latest report that Afghanistan “remains poor, aid-dependent, and conflict-affected” despite the United States spending at least $837 billion on the country over two decades. The report added that the pandemic hampers Afghanistan’s prospects for economic growth (Bloomberg)
The grim accounting comes as the United States prepares to complete a full withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan at the end of August. The $837 billion in U.S. spending on fighting and reconstruction does not include billions more spent on intelligence, veterans’ benefits, and financial aid. The report described the Taliban’s recent military gains as an “existential crisis” for the Afghan government (Voice of America)
Taliban Delegation Visits China
A delegation of Taliban leaders travelled to northeast China to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other officials today; a Foreign Ministry spokesman called the Taliban “a pivotal military and political force” and said the group would play “an important role in the process of peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction” in Afghanistan (New York Times)
Separately, four journalists were arrested on propaganda charges after traveling to Afghanistan’s disputed border town of Spin Boldak to interview Taliban commanders. The journalists reportedly ignored a warning from the Afghanistan government’s intelligence agency not to enter the area (Voice of America)
U.S. Steps Up Air Strikes Against Taliban
U.S. forces have increased air strikes against the Taliban in recent days and are prepared to maintain the heightened level of air support if the Taliban continues its attacks, the head of U.S. Central Command said (Reuters)
Taliban Call for Political Transition in Kabul Ahead of Peace Agreement
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in an interview the group will not cease combat until Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is removed and a new negotiated government is installed. The group has rapidly seized territory in recent weeks as U.S. forces complete their departure (Associated Press)
Separately, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill to allow eight thousand extra visas for Afghans who aided the U.S. mission and are at risk for retaliation amid the U.S. withdrawal. The bill now heads to the Senate (TOLOnews)
Taliban Seize More Territory Across Afghanistan, U.S. Nears Complete Withdrawal
U.S. General Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said yesterday that about half of Afghanistan’s district centers are under Taliban control (Reuters)
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin said that the ongoing U.S. drawdown would be completed by the end of next month (TOLOnews)
Foreign Missions in Afghanistan Call for Taliban Cease-Fire
Fifteen diplomatic missions and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) representative in the country jointly called for the Taliban to halt its military offensives after intra-Afghan talks in Doha, Qatar, failed to yield a cease-fire agreement (Al Jazeera)
Separately, Afghanistan withdrew its ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan after the ambassador’s daughter was abducted in Islamabad, the Afghan foreign ministry said (Dawn)
Leaders at Uzbekistan Conference Stress Importance of Afghan Peace
The situation in Afghanistan dominated the agenda during a two-day international conference in Uzbekistan that was originally intended to focus on regional trade and connectivity (Associated Press)
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan will join Iran, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan in trying to facilitate an Afghan peace process (Dawn)
Eurasian Leaders Call for End to Violence in Afghanistan
During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, the foreign ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan called for an end to violence against civilians and authorities in Afghanistan, a peaceful settlement of the country’s conflict, and for the Afghan government to strengthen its position (TOLOnews)
Prominent Afghan Leaders to Attend Doha Talks With Taliban
A delegation of prominent Afghan politicians, including High Council for National Reconciliation Chair Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai, will begin talks with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, this week (TOLONews)
Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Steps Down
General Austin Scott Miller, who commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan for three years, will step down today in a symbolic end to the U.S. military presence in the country. General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the head of U.S. Central Command, arrived in Kabul to take charge of the remaining U.S. troops (Washington Post)
In President Joe Biden’s first formal statements on the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan since announcing the drawdown in April, the president defended the decision as long overdue and said American resources were better focused elsewhere (CNN)
He also said the withdrawal will be completed by August 31, up from a previous deadline of September 11. It is still unclear what kind of U.S. support could remain for Afghan forces after that date. Biden suggested that the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan fulfilled its antiterrorism function years ago, and said that evacuations are underway for Afghans who assisted the mission (New York Times)
Amid the U.S. withdrawal, Taliban forces have escalated their offensives against the Afghan military, including by taking over a key border crossing with Iran this week (TOLONews)
Yesterday, a Taliban delegation met with representatives of the Russian government to affirm that the group’s advances would not threaten Russia or its Central Asian allies (Associated Press)
Afghan, Taliban Delegations Commit to Seeking Peace in Tehran Talks
At the first intra-Afghan talks in months in Tehran, delegations for the Afghan government and the Taliban signed a joint declaration committing to seek peace, condemning civilian casualties during combat, and pledging to continue talks (TOLOnews)
But as the meeting took place, fighting surged in Afghanistan’s western Badghis Province (Associated Press)
U.S. Military: Afghanistan Withdrawal More Than 90 Percent Done
U.S. Central Command said the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is due to conclude by September 11, is more than 90 percent complete (Politico)
Tajikistan Reinforces Border After Afghan Troops Flee
Tajikistan’s military plans to reinforce its border with Afghanistan after more than one thousand Afghan troops crossed into the country in one night to escape Taliban militants. Tajik authorities said they are preparing for an influx of refugees and noted that the Taliban controls two-thirds of the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Bagram Airfield Passed From U.S. to Afghan Control
The last U.S. troops departed from Bagram Airfield, the largest base used by American forces in Afghanistan over the past twenty years. The base is now under the control of the Afghan military (TOLOnews)
U.S. Military Commander Warns of Civil War in Afghanistan After Troop Withdrawal
General Austin S. Miller, head of the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, warned of the possibility of civil war after troops complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan this summer (New York Times)
Separately, the last German troops in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in Afghanistan have departed the country, Germany’s defense ministry said. Over 150,000 German troops have been stationed in Afghanistan since 2002, and some 1,100 were stationed there before the withdrawal began in May (Deutsche Welle)
Afghan Leaders Meet With Biden at White House
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and High Council for National Reconciliation Chair Abdullah Abdullah will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House today. Biden is expected to signal support for the government in Kabul and for talks between the government and the Taliban as the United States withdraws its troops from Afghanistan amid a deteriorating security situation there (Al Jazeera)
Separately, the United States will begin to relocate thousands of Afghan interpreters, drivers, and others who worked with U.S. forces to a location outside of Afghanistan while they apply for U.S. visas, Biden said yesterday (New York Times)
U.S. Intelligence: Afghan Government Could Fall Sooner Than Previously Expected
Afghanistan’s government could collapse as soon as six months after U.S. forces finish withdrawing from the country, according to a new assessment by the U.S. intelligence community, unnamed officials said. U.S. intelligence experts previously estimated that the Afghan government could survive for as long as two years after the withdrawal, but last week shortened that timeline to between six and twelve months (Wall Street Journal)
As the Taliban gains territory, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrived in Washington ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden tomorrow (TOLOnews)
Intra-Afghan peace talks that were promised in a February 2020 agreement between Washington and the Taliban have stalled, and the militant group now claims control of at least 80 of Afghanistan’s 421 districts (Agence France-Presse)