Taliban Captures 10th Provincial Capital, Afghan Government Offers to Share Power
The Taliban on Thursday captured a provincial capital, Ghazni, its 10th in less than a week, located near Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul. The capture of Ghazni cuts off a major highway that connects Kabul with the country’s southern provinces. Also on Thursday, the Afghanistan government made a powersharing proposal to the Taliban in exchange for a halt in the escalating violence in the country, Al Jazeera reported, citing an unnamed government source. The insurgent Taliban is now said to hold about two-thirds of the country. Other assessments suggest that the Taliban could gain full control of the country within a few months, The Associated Press reported. The capture of the capitals is part of the Taliban offenses that began in May, as the United States began withdrawing troops from the country. The withdrawal is set to be complete by the end of the month. US President Joe Biden said earlier this week that he would not rescind his decision to remove the US military presence from Afghanistan.
