Afghanistan: Ghani to resign before Monday – Sources

President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan will resign before the coming Monday and an interim setup will come in place with the Taliban having a share in the new setup, according to our sources.

This comes in after the Taliban made rapid advancements to surround the Ghani administration and take a quarter of the provincial capitals, major trading routes leading to Kabul and connecting all of Afghanistan, thus crippling the government.

Ghani had already replaced the army chief further denting the resistance and morale.

Earlier today, the Taliban took control of Kandahar, their former stronghold and another major trading hub. Heavy fighting was already being reported and they succeeded in capturing it within a week of the beginning of their sweeping offensive. According to local officials they took control of Pol-e-Alam, Logar and Lashkar Gah, Helmand as well.

Human rights activists and leaders around the World are raising concerns for the young girls and women, who in the past have been married off or “gifted” to the Taliban fighters.

Ashraf Ghani had shown interest in arming militias and held meetings with infamous warlord commander Rashid Dostum on Wednesday to design a strategy that takes back the north.

Historically, the north has always fought the Taliban, the militants always in control of the south and the warlords leading the fight against each other to stay in power and protect their “people.” Hate for the other ethnicity and group has been the reason behind the violence and if the militias are armed and the Afghan government disbands with a will to fight the Taliban then more violence will engulf Afghanistan and another string of never-ending wars between the warlords and their people will begin.

The Taliban have already captured a warlord known as the Lion of Herat, Mohammad Ismail Khan, videos on social media showed him being detained by the fighters. Khan was leading the militias in the fight against the Taliban in Herat.

Hundreds of thousands are now fleeing Afghanistan and the UN is urging its neighbors to take in the refugees.

If Ashraf Ghani does step down and an interim government is brought in place with the Taliban taking part then that will be the first step towards peace unless spoilers sabotage the process or new militias announce their resistance against this new setup.

The most vocal critics of such a setup are assumed to be commander Rashid Dostum and the likes of him who are known to never forget and forgive the past “deeds” of the enemy. The same goes for the Taliban, since they have shown their ability to invade Kabul, experts fear they would not welcome the likes of Dostum.

Commander Rashid Dostum infamous for his “war crimes” and killing over 2000 Taliban fighters in 2001 after they had surrendered, by locking the shipping containers they were being moved in, has always been a controversial figure and has survived several assassination attempts.

Experts suggest his actions to be influenced by the hate he holds for the Taliban fueled by revenge. Dostum even today is adamant to take back his city and region after the Taliban captured it soon after his return, his son who was leading the fight managed to escape and since then Dostum has been preparing for a counteroffensive while also examining how the situation unfolds and if foreign powers come to his rescue.

The situation in Afghanistan is getting trickier and unless all sides forget the past and think of the future we will never see an end to the wars and violence, and in the end the Afghan people will continue to suffer.