Advance of Islamists: US government accuses Afghanistan of a lack of will to fight the Taliban

The US government has accused the Afghan leadership and security forces of a lack of combat readiness in view of the advance of the Taliban. It is "worrying" to see that the political and military leadership did not have the "will" to oppose the advance of the militant Islamists, said US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby, CNN. The US could not have foreseen the "lack of resistance" by the Afghan armed forces, Kirby said in an interview with the broadcaster on Friday.

The Afghan security forces are superior to the Taliban in terms of equipment, training and troop strength and have their own air force, Kirby said.

With a view to the financial support of the US government for the security forces, he added: "Money cannot buy a will." The political and military leadership of the Afghans is responsible for this.

Kirby warned that readiness to fight was necessary to prevent the Taliban from taking control of the entire country.

USA relocates 3,000 soldiers to Kabul

The US military announced on Thursday that it would move around 3,000 soldiers as reinforcements to Kabul Airport in order to support the reduction of the staff at the US embassy.

Around 5000 more soldiers are also stationed in the Middle East to stand by as possible reinforcements.

Against the background of the advance of the Taliban, the US embassy in Kabul has asked its personnel to destroy sensitive material.

In a note to the embassy employees, a building technician referred them to the existing options for incinerating or disposing of documents and equipment on Friday.

According to this, all objects that the Taliban could "misuse" for propaganda should be destroyed.

Examples of items to be disposed of were products that bear the logo of the embassy or US authorities, but also US flags.

A US State Department spokesman said the embassy in Kabul was preparing to "dismantle".

"The downsizing of our diplomatic posts follows a standard procedure that aims to minimize our footprint."

Evacuation of employees

Western states have meanwhile accelerated their efforts to get their own personnel and local Afghan workers to safety from the rapidly advancing Taliban.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said British Embassy staff should leave Kabul within days.

London plans to send around 600 soldiers to secure the repatriation of the British.

According to Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Germany also wants to reduce embassy staff to the "absolute minimum".

Staff and local staff are to be flown out with two aircraft.

A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Defense did not rule out on Friday that Bundeswehr soldiers could also be used to secure a return operation.

The Bundeswehr has forces ready that are "available in the event of an emergency," he said.

The militant Islamist Taliban have now brought more than half of the 34 provincial capitals under their control.

On Thursday and Friday, Herat and Kandahar, the third and second largest cities in the country, fell to the Islamists.

With Pul-i Alam in Logar province, the Taliban have also captured a provincial capital only around 70 kilometers south of the capital Kabul.

Easier departure for local staff working for Germany

The Bundeswehr and German institutions employed a large number of local staff in Afghanistan; it is now to be made easier for them to leave the country. Like Foreign Minister Maas before, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) said that identity verification and the issuing of visas could also take place in Germany if necessary. “We are open to any procedure. No entry of local staff fails at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, ”Seehofer told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Green leader Robert Habeck demanded in the newspaper that people from Afghanistan who have worked through companies, i.e. not directly for the Bundeswehr or other German institutions, should also be included.

The Minister of State in the Foreign Office, Michael Roth, expects the rapid advance of the Taliban to increase refugee pressure on the EU and Germany as well.

The SPD politician pointed out in the newspaper Rheinische Post that there are around 3.5 million internally displaced people in the Hindu Kush.

The pressure will not only increase “massively” on Turkey, Iran and Pakistan.

"I am sure that the migratory pressure on the EU and Germany will also increase," said Roth.

The UN Agency for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) reported on Friday that many people were looking for protection from threats in Kabul and other major cities.

Many are staying with friends or relatives, but a growing number is also staying outdoors in the capital.

UN warns of prolonged civil war

Canada plans to take in more than 20,000 vulnerable Afghans to protect them from the Taliban. These included, among others, staff from human rights organizations, journalists and female executives, says Marco Mendicino, Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. These people would also be included.

UN General Secretary António Guterres called on the Taliban to stop their violent advance in Afghanistan immediately. "Seizing power through military force is a doomed practice," Guterres said in New York. "It can only lead to a prolonged civil war or the complete isolation of Afghanistan." He hoped for an agreement negotiated with all parties to end the conflict. He is very concerned about the situation, said Guterres. "Afghanistan is getting out of control."