Today: 7 October 2025
6 August 2021
2 mins read

Taliban’s strategy switch is in response to US strikes

Experts have said the loss of Kandahar and Herat, Afghanistan’s second- and third-largest cities by population, would be a major blow to the government…reports Asian Lite news

The Taliban is stepping up its attack on provincial cities in response to the increasing airstrikes by the US as fighting has escalated in Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, according to a report on Friday.

Experts have said the loss of Kandahar and Herat, Afghanistan’s second- and third-largest cities by population, would be a major blow to the government. According to them, it could potentially trigger major realignments in favour of the Taliban.

“Mullah Yaqoob argued that when the US didn’t fulfil their commitment why should Taliban be made to follow the accord?” one of the commanders, based in Kandahar, told Reuters on the condition of anonymity. The commander was referring to the Taliban’s military chief.

“Mullah Yaqoob has decided to capture Kandahar and Herat and now Helmand and then it could be Kunduz, Khost or any other province,” the commander said.

The commander also said that Yaqoob’s arguments had won over the group’s political office. “The operations in Kandahar and Herat are very much important to us and our priority is to capture the two crucial airports or airbases in Kandahar and Herat,” the Taliban commander in Kandahar said.

However, Taliban negotiator Suhail Shaheen told Reuters the group was continuing its policy of seizing control of rural areas in Afghanistan and implementing Islamic Sharia there, rather than focusing on cities.

Officials and experts said the signs of a change in strategy was seen in July. “The main evidence is the extent of their breach of these cities. Fighting is not limited to the peripheries anymore,” Asfandyar Mir, a South Asia analyst from Stanford University, told Reuters. “This switch in Taliban strategy has been formalised after Eid, though Taliban forces were putting serious pressure on Kandahar even before Eid,” Mir added.

The Taliban’s offensive has gone up since April when US President Joe Biden announced troops would withdraw by September. Herat, Kandahar and Lashkar Gar have seen sustained attacks by the Taliban and scores of civilians have been killed in these areas.

The violence by the Taliban continues unabated in Afghanistan as several videos and images on social media showed those injured, including children. A girl is seen in a video on Twitter with injuries on her forehead and blood on her blouse after a roadside blast triggered by the Taliban. Her father was killed when they were on their way to a pharmacy, the user claimed.

ALSO READ: Taliban threat looms over Afghan resources worth USD 1 trillion

Previous Story

No final decision on int’l traveller vaccination rule: White House

Next Story

UAE calls for global cooperation to accelerate vax supply

Latest from -Top News

OCTOBER 7: Stop the Violence Now, Says Guterres

Guterres recalled that “the attackers brutally killed more than 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals….reports Asian Lite News UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate halt to the violence in Gaza, Israel, and

Piyush Goyal Heads to Doha for Trade Talks

During the visit, both sides are expected to discuss the proposed India–Qatar Free Trade Agreement (FTA)….reports Asian Lite News Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to Doha, Qatar, on

Hamas Heads to Egypt for Gaza Talks

The negotiation will focus on the details of enacting the first phase of the plan…reports Asian Lite News A delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas arrived in Egypt on Sunday ahead of

Multi-alignment, upgraded

With US ties strained and China tense, New Delhi taps Europe’s harder edge for co-development, clean tech and strategic autonomy, writes Manoj Menon India is recalibrating its great-power hedging as frictions with
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Ashraf Ghani is a crook, says Trump

Trump also echoed the above allegations against Ghani and said

Drugs, taxes, mysterious sponsors are sources of Taliban funds

The funds raised by the Taliban turns out to more