Monday saw the Taliban advance on Gardez, the capital of Paktia province in Afghanistan’s east. But the last week has seen no fewer than five provincial centers fall to the Taliban, some without a fight. Afghan troops have long relied on airpower for a crucial advantage over their Taliban adversaries and to resupply far-flung outposts across the country. Yet that retrenchment may not be enough, said one high-ranking Afghan defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to comment freely. That sense of government isolation has only increased in recent days in some of Afghanistan’s largest cities, including Kandahar and Herat, where Taliban fighters briefly disrupted air travel at those cities’ airports.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 09, 2021 11:40 UTC