Taliban fighters gained control of the Imam Sahib district in Kunduz Province and encircled the province’s capital city of Kunduz. The province is near Afghanistan’s northern border with Tajikistan, which is a major route for imports from Central Asia (Associated Press)
Afghanistan’s COVID-19 Surge Strains Health Facilities, Hits U.S. Embassy
COVID-19 infection rates in Afghanistan have risen by 2,400 percent in the past month, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The surge has overwhelmed the country’s health facilities. At the U.S. embassy, more than one hundred people have been infected, and one staffer has died (CNN)
Separately, during a meeting in Brussels on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed that Turkey will receive U.S. support in securing the Kabul airport amid the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a top U.S. advisor said (Wall Street Journal)
Scores Killed in Fighting Across Afghanistan
More than one hundred Taliban fighters and ninety Afghan security-force members died in clashes across the country over a twenty-four-hour period. The military said it regained control of the center of Khanabad district in Kunduz Province after the Taliban took over the area earlier this week (TOLOnews)
U.S. to Limit Air Strikes in Afghanistan Following Withdrawal
The head of U.S. Central Command said that, following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States would only conduct air strikes in the country in the case of a planned attack on the U.S. homeland or a U.S. partner (Voice of America)
Separately, NATO officials are reportedly holding talks with Qatar on whether the country will host a base where Afghan special forces can be trained following the alliance’s withdrawal from Afghanistan (Reuters)
Taliban: Turkish Forces Should Leave Afghanistan
A spokesperson for the Taliban said that Turkey should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan under the terms of a 2020 deal on the exit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces. Ankara had proposed that it keep some troops in Kabul to guard the international airport (Reuters)
Afghan Mine-Clearers Killed in Attack
Attackers killed at least ten people at a site where staffers were clearing land mines in Afghanistan’s northeastern Baghlan Province. The attackers reportedly sought out Hazaras, a largely Shiite minority. The Islamic State claimed responsibility (New York Times)
U.S. Completes Over Half of Afghanistan Withdrawal
U.S. Central Command said it has completed more than 50 percent of its withdrawal from Afghanistan. For operational security, it said it will not issue further updates on what percentage of the exit process is complete (Voice of America)
UN Report: Taliban ‘Closely Aligned’ With Al-Qaeda
The Taliban remains “closely aligned” with al-Qaeda and appears poised to strengthen its own military position in Afghanistan in the coming months, according to a UN Security Council report. As part of a February 2020 peace deal with the United States, the Taliban pledged to cut cooperation with al-Qaeda and prevent the terrorist group’s actions on Afghan soil (UN Security Council)
U.S. Exploring Options to Evacuate Thousands of Afghans
The Pentagon is drawing up plans to evacuate thousands of Afghans who worked for U.S. forces and could be endangered by the Taliban after the United States withdraws from Afghanistan. But evacuation is not being “actively pursued,” a Pentagon spokesperson said (DefenseOne)
Thousands Flees Violence in Afghanistan
In recent weeks, six thousand families have fled their homes due to heavy fighting between the Taliban and government forces, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s refugee agency said (Voice of America)
Separately, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance will continue to provide civilian advice to Afghan ministers, funds for security forces, and support for ongoing peace talks (Associated Press)
Finally, a Taliban statement today warned of consequences if the United States maintains a military presence in the region, especially in Pakistan (TOLOnews)
Taliban Continue to Capture Territory in Afghanistan
The Taliban have reportedly captured at least twenty-six Afghan National Security Forces outposts and bases, along with four district centers, in the provinces of Laghman, Baghlan, Wardak, and Ghazni since the beginning of May (New York Times)
Separately, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that his country will close its embassy in Afghanistan tomorrow due to an uncertain security outlook. The around eighty Australian troops in Afghanistan are set to withdraw by September (Voice of America)
U.S. Completes Nearly One-Quarter of Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal
The U.S. military has completed an estimated 16–25 percent of the process of withdrawing from Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command said (Voice of America)
Military officials said they hope to have U.S. troops fully withdrawn by mid-July (New York Times)
Afghan Security Forces Move to Retake Districts From Taliban
Government forces conducted operations this weekend that aimed to retake four districts in central and eastern Afghanistan from the Taliban, according to reports. The defense ministry said at least ninety Taliban fighters were killed across eleven provinces in a twenty-four-hour period (TOLOnews)
Taliban Capture District Near Kabul
Officials said the Taliban captured the strategically important Nerkh district near Kabul ahead of a cease-fire set to begin this week. Several highways run through Nerkh (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Bombing Outside Girls’ School in Afghanistan Kills Dozens
At least fifty-two people, many of them teenage girls, were killed and scores more were injured by a series of blasts outside a girls’ school in Kabul on Saturday (TOLOnews)
No group has claimed responsibility, and the Taliban denied involvement (New York Times)
Separately, the Taliban declared a three-day ceasefire to recognize Eid al-Fitr (Al Jazeera)
Afghanistan’s Ghani Pledges to Fight Taliban, Asks for U.S., NATO Aid
President Ashraf Ghani pledged that Afghanistan’s military would not back down if the Taliban rejected peace talks and continued to fight. He also called on the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to honor their commitments to funding Afghanistan’s defense forces. He said they were the “single most important contribution” the international community can make to the country’s transition process (Foreign Affairs)
Truck Bomb Kills Twenty-Seven in Afghanistan
A truck bomb killed at least twenty-seven people on Friday, the eve of the U.S. troop withdrawal date agreed to under last year’s U.S.-Taliban deal (New York Times)
In a statement yesterday, President Biden said the United States will “disrupt” any terrorist threats emerging from Afghanistan (TOLOnews)
Attacks Against Afghan Security Forces Surge in First Quarter
Insider attacks against the Afghan army increased by 82 percent in the first quarter of 2021, as the U.S. and NATO begin to withdraw troops. Attacks against Afghan security forces, conducted mainly by the Taliban, increased by 37 percent in January to March (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Orders Embassy Staff to Leave Afghanistan
The U.S. embassy in Afghanistan ordered nonessential staff to leave the country amid concerns about increased violence next week (Wall Street Journal)
U.S. defense officials said a special force is being assembled to protect departing troops (CNN)
Separately, at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee lawmakers expressed concern about backsliding in Afghanistan following the U.S. pullout. U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told senators that any future aid to Afghanistan will be conditioned on the Taliban’s behavior, including its treatment of women and girls (TOLOnews)
Turkey Postpones Afghanistan Peace Summit
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that a summit on the Afghan peace process scheduled to begin in Istanbul on Saturday will be delayed due to the Taliban’s refusal to attend. The summit will be pushed back until after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday end in May (Al Jazeera)
NATO to Match U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries agreed to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan on May 1 and complete the drawdown within a few months. The move coincided with President Biden’s announcement of a complete U.S. withdrawal by September 11 (New York Times)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Afghanistan today to build support for the withdrawal (Associated Press)
Biden to Withdraw All U.S. Troops From Afghanistan by September 11
President Joe Biden is expected to announce today plans to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The move would end the United States’ participation in its longest war, which has claimed the lives of more than two thousand U.S. service members and tens of thousands of Afghan civilians (Washington Post)
Taliban Won’t Join Peace Talks This Week in Turkey
The Taliban will not participate in peace talks this week with the Afghan government in Turkey, the militant group announced in a blow to U.S. efforts to jumpstart the faltering peace process. The group hasn’t ruled out joining talks at a later date (Wall Street Journal)
Afghan Leaders Finalize Peace Plan
The Afghan government said it finalized a proposed peace plan that it will present during a to-be-scheduled conference in Turkey. Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad left Kabul after meeting with Afghan officials for four days to accelerate the peace process (TOLOnews)
Taliban Attack U.S., NATO Bases in Afghanistan
The Taliban reportedly launched attacks on a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan late last month, as well as on a NATO air base in Kandahar this week (CNN)