White House assesses risk of Taliban capture of Kabul

WASHINGTON, Aug 10 US President Joe Biden does not consider the seizure of Kabul by the radical Taliban * inevitable, calls on Afghan troops to fight back with US assistance, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Tuesday. inevitably, and that at this stage they must demonstrate the political will to fight back, «Psaki said in a regular briefing. She stressed that the US administration cannot afford to» feel disappointed «by the results of military action by the Afghan army. «Our point of view and the point of view of the president is that now they should use their education, assistance, training in the field of security that has been provided to them,» added Psaki. Great Britain's position on the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan has become known In Afghanistan, the confrontation between government forces and the Taliban * militants has continued for several years, which in recent months have seized significant territories in rural and border areas and launched an attack on large cities. The escalation is taking place against the backdrop of the withdrawal of American troops, which the Russian Foreign Ministry called recognition of the failure of Washington's mission in Afghanistan. On August 6, the Taliban announced that they had seized the city of Zaranj, the administrative center of the Nimroz province in southwestern Afghanistan, and then that they had occupied the administrative centers of five more of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, including the city of Kunduz, which is located 60 kilometers from the nearest border crossing point in Tajikistan. … According to a number of Western media outlets, the transfer of the city of Kunduz to the control of the rebels could mean a turning point in the development of the situation in Afghanistan. At the same time, the official Kabul denied information about the loss of control over Kunduz. * Terrorist organization banned in Russia. What will happen after the flight of Americans from Afghanistan