The U.S. is warning that Taliban militants are committing atrocities that may constitute war crimes as they march on additional provincial capitals.
Taliban Executes Surrendering Afghan Troops
In a recently published article in CBS News, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said Wednesday that it had received information that the Taliban were executing some surrendering Afghan soldiers, as the extremist organization took control of its tenth province capital in a week.
According to the U.S. embassy, the Taliban fighters have arrested numerous officials of the Afghan government, including civilian leaders and officers of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, in various places that it has captured in the previous weeks.
However, the Taliban has previously denied reports that its fighters have executed Afghan soldiers. On the other hand, the U.S. embassy in Kabul said Thursday that it was hearing additional reports of Taliban executions of surrendering Afghan troops, which it described as deeply disturbing and possibly constituting war crimes, according to a published article in MSN News.
Kabul Could Fall Into Taliban Hands in a Matter of Weeks
As the Taliban advances through Afghanistan, claiming at least nine provincial capitals in a matter of days, a new U.S. military study predicts that Kabul, the country's capital, may be isolated in 30 to 60 days and fall to the terrorist organization in 90 days, according to a U.S. official.
The warning is much more severe than a prior intelligence assessment, indicating how fast the Taliban has gained momentum on the battlefield, which has surprised the Biden administration, according to a published report in ABC News.
Meanwhile, according to two other U.S. officials who spoke to a news outlet on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans, there are growing concerns for the U.S. personnel who will remain at the embassy in Kabul and the 650 US troops who will stay to protect it, with planning underway for some time now about a possible evacuation.
Furthermore, according to a State Department spokesperson, the U.S. embassy has continued to quietly draw down some staff since it went on order departure on April 27, leaving only emergency personnel behind and allowing it to shift certain roles out of Afghanistan whose functions can be performed elsewhere.
The US Embassy Urges Americans to Leave Afghanistan Immediately
The US Embassy in Kabul has also encouraged Americans to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible, citing concerns that the capital may fall into Taliban hands within weeks. The US Embassy has issued its second warning, urging any American citizens still in Afghanistan to leave the country immediately.
The embassy said in its alert "Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy's ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul," according to a recently published article in Yahoo News.
The embassy emphasized Thursday that U.S. citizens should enroll in its emergency notification system in the case of a future official evacuation flight, just as it did in a similar warning on Saturday. This is to ensure that the U.S. citizens in Afghanistan will not be compromised amid the armed conflict in the country.
