Biden says Afghan forces must fight for themselves

In this picture taken on August 6, 2021, Afghan security personnel patrol along a road on the outskirts of Herat. (PHOTO /
AFP)

WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the Afghan troops must fight for themselves as multiple cities have fallen to the Taliban in the past few days.

"We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces. And Afghan leaders have to come together," Biden told reporters at the White House. "They've got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation."

The United States will continue to provide Afghan forces with close air support, food, equipment, salaries and make sure the Afghan air force is operable, said Biden. "But they've got to want to fight. They have outnumbered the Taliban."

"We are going to continue to keep our commitment," he added, saying he does not regret his decision to withdraw US troops from the country.

We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces. And Afghan leaders have to come together … They've got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation.

Joe Biden, US President

Biden ordered the US military to end its mission in Afghanistan by the end of this month. The US Central Command said over 95 percent of the drawdown had been completed.

Last Monday, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said in his remarks to the parliament that Kabul had a six-month security plan to change the situation in the battleground. Meanwhile, he blamed the withdrawal of US troops for the worsening situation.

The Taliban on Tuesday claimed it had seized Farah city, capital of Afghanistan's western Farah province, marking the seventh provincial capital to fall to the group in less than a week.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said earlier in the day that the security situation in Afghanistan is of grave concern to the United States.

"What we are doing around the clock is seeking to find a way out of this," he told reporters in a daily briefing, noting that US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is in Doha for meetings with representatives from regional countries to press for a reduction in the violence and a ceasefire.

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The United States carried out airstrikes against the Taliban in recent days as the insurgent group made rapid military advances across the country.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said on Monday that the US military will continue to use airstrikes to support Afghan forces "where and when feasible," but he declined to speculate if such air support will continue beyond Aug 31.

Afghanistan’s acting finance minister Khalid Payenda has resigned and left the country after the Taliban captured key customs posts bleeding the administration of revenue, reinforcing the government’s isolation as the militants make swift gains

He said the Afghan forces have the capability and advantages in combat with the Taliban, stressing the need for Kabul to exert both political and military leadership.

However, Afghanistan’s acting finance minister Khalid Payenda has resigned and left the country after the Taliban captured key customs posts bleeding the administration of revenue, reinforcing the government’s isolation as the militants make swift gains.

Payenda has “resigned and left the country because Afghanistan is grappling with declining revenues after the takeover of the custom posts,” Finance Ministry spokesman Mohammad Rafi Tabe said in a phone interview Wednesday. “The deteriorating security situation” and traveling to be with his ailing wife abroad, were the other reasons Tabe gave.

It wasn’t immediately clear where Payenda was going to.

The former minister tweeted Tuesday to say he was quitting his post but gave no reasons for it. The deputy minister for customs and revenues, Alem Shah Ibrahimi, will be in charge until a new appointment is announced.

Payenda wasn’t immediately available for comment.

With U.S. and NATO troops slated for a complete exit by Aug. 31, a resurgent Taliban have overrun several provincial capitals in recent days. 

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The militants have also seized several crucial custom posts causing President Ashraf Ghani’s government to lose as much as US$30 million in import duties last month alone. The taxes account for about half of Afghanistan’s total domestic revenues, estimated to be about 216.5 billion Afghanis this year.

In recent weeks, many Afghan cities and about half of the country's 34 provinces have seen heavy battles and street fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban militants.

Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that up to 47 militants have been confirmed dead as fighting planes struck Taliban fighters' hideouts and positions in the southern Kandahar province.

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More than 2,400 US troops have been killed in Afghanistan over the past two decades, with 20,000 wounded. Meanwhile, estimates show that over 66,000 Afghan troops have been killed, and over 2.7 million people have had to leave their homes.