Afghanistan: Ghazni falls

Thursday – The Taliban have captured their 10th provincial capital in less than a week, after the launch of the second phase of their attacks that focused on major cities. Another loss for the Afghan government and army after the replacement of their army chief.

With this development, it is likely that Ashraf Ghani will focus more on pro-government militias and regional warlords who support him or hate the Taliban.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is now growing at a rapid pace, millions are likely to be displaced and heading towards Kabul for food and shelter. The Taliban have vowed to bring back strong draconian laws that “punish those influenced by western culture.” Ashraf Ghani had visited Mazar-e-Sharif in a bid to get support from the warlords of the north. Commander Rashid Dostum has already shown interest to retake his lost city and region after the Taliban robbed his mansion and took over his city shortly after he landed back from Turkey.

With the armament of militias, things would get trickier in Afghanistan as they would naturally give rise to more violence and ethnic cleansings. Which is why the Taliban for once must sit down and think if this is the way they want to move forward, pushing the Afghan government to a corner would make them disband and fight as groups, and the same never-ending war would carry on indefinitely.

A mass exodus is also on the verge in Afghanistan, with civilians looking to cross the border into neighboring countries in a bid to find food and shelter as Kabul is now flooded with Afghans from all across the country. Some looking for food, others fleeing the Taliban controlled regions to escape persecution, while the rest are looking for shelter and protection from taxes imposed by the Taliban.

The Taliban will likely impose their own taxes once they have control over the trading hubs and major cities. They already have control of the most crucial trading routes and are further challenging the writ of the Afghan government by imposing laws and regulations they deem fit.