Their country, their struggle’: US ‘can’t do much’ as Afghan forces battle Taliban

The United States has put the onus of “defending” Afghanistan on the country’s security forces while acknowledging the fight against Taliban was not going in the “right direction”.

“It’s their country to defend now. It’s their struggle,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said at a news conference on Monday after Taliban insurgents captured a sixth provincial capital on Monday. 

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Kirby said the US military can do “not much” to help the Afghan security forces in their fight against the insurgents.

Taliban captured Aibak without any resistance following a weeklong siege of the strategically-important capital city of the Samangan province.

A video posted by the Taliban on social media showed insurgents purportedly inspecting an overrun checkpoint on the outskirts of the city.

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Taliban have claimed “full control” of the city, a spokesperson for the insurgent group said.

Insurgents have already overrun Afghan forces in the provinces of Kunduz, Takhar, Jowzjan, Sar-e-Pol, Nimruz, and Helmand over the last week.

US envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad left for Qatar to “press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement,” according to State Department.

It added that a “negotiated peace is the only path to ending the war,” while expressing “grave concern” over the deteriorating situation.

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Kirby said defence of provincial capitals was “really going to come down to the leadership that they’re willing to exude here at this particular moment.”

A Taliban spokesperson on Sunday warned the US against aiding Afghan forces.  

Violence in the war-torn country has escalated dramatically since US President Joe Biden’s announcement of a complete withdrawal of troops by September 11.

Germany Monday rejected calls for aiding Afghan forces with Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer blaming former US President Donald Trump’s “unfortunate deal with the Taliban” for the current situation.

United Kingdom Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also slammed the “rotten deal”.