US officials knew Afghanistan could fall to the Taliban
Just last month, an internal US State Department document had warned top American officials about Afghanistan's potential fall to the Taliban. The memo had predicted the collapse soon after the US' August 31 troop withdrawal deadline, later than it actually happened, The Wall Street Journal reported citing a US official. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Sunday, triggering panic and chaos.
Memo warned of swift gains by Taliban, failure of forces
The classified document, dated July 13, had warned of swift territorial gains by the Taliban and subsequent failure of Afghan security forces. It laid down recommendations on how to mitigate the deepening crisis and speed up evacuation, according to WSJ's sources. It also called for the State Department to use tougher language for describing the atrocities being committed by the insurgents at that time.
Afghan forces lost control of roads to Kabul by July
Further, a report by the US' Central Intelligence Agency in July stated the Afghan forces and central government had lost control of the roads leading to the capital Kabul, assessing that the viability of the erstwhile government was in danger, The New York Times reported.
What is happening in Afghanistan?
The Taliban, a group of insurgents infamous for violence and infringing human rights, regained control of Afghanistan on Sunday. They had seized city after city before reaching Kabul in a matter of days. Former President Ashraf Ghani also fled the country on Sunday. The group's return coincided with the US' decision to withdraw troops after 20 years of war.
Many have been killed since the Taliban capture
The Taliban claims to be more tolerant now, saying they would forgive political opponents and uphold women's rights. However, reports from across the country suggest otherwise. On Thursday, protesters took to streets in many cities against the Taliban rule, but several were killed either in firing by Taliban fighters or stampede triggered by them. Many were killed in the chaos at the Kabul airport.
7,000 evacuated by the US in 5 days: Pentagon
The US has evacuated 7,000 people out of Afghanistan since August 14, the country's Defense Department said on Thursday. Six-thousand people are still at the airport, waiting to board planes. Meanwhile, nearly 5,200 troops are currently securing the Kabul airport and helping with the evacuations.
Jaishankar speaks with US' Blinken over the situation
India has evacuated hundreds of its nationals from Afghanistan and is working to bring more people back home, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said. Jaishankar also spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the situation in Afghanistan. "Secretary Blinken and Minister Jaishankar discussed Afghanistan and agreed to continued coordination," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
