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05-05-2021
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report
KABUL/ KANDAHAR/ ISLAMABAD: Thousands of Afghans fled their homes as fighting erupted between government forces and the Taliban in the country’s southern province days after the US military began its withdrawal from the war-torn country, officials said on Tuesday.
Afghan forces pushed back insurgent attacks on multiple checkpoints in the past 24 hours itself in the province of Helmand where the US military on Sunday handed over a base to government forces as part of its formal pullout that began on May 1.
About 1,000 families have fled their homes to escape the fighting that erupted on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, and some other parts of the province, said Sayed Mohammad Ramin, the region’s director for refugees.
He said the families had taken refuge in Lashkar Gah and had come from areas where fighting was intense in the past two days.
“We will survey their needs tomorrow, but many who still have not found shelter in the city need urgent assistance,” Ramin told media.
The defence ministry said government forces had killed more than 100 Taliban fighters in Helmand in the past 24 hours when the insurgents attacked some checkpoints on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah.
Another 22 Al-Qaeda fighters were also killed in the fighting, the ministry said.
Officials said the Taliban fighters initially captured some checkpoints but they were retaken by government forces that pushed back the insurgents.
“The enemy has now lost all the areas it had captured and suffered heavy casualties,” Attaullah Afghan, head of Helmand provincial council told media.
The Taliban said dozens of Afghan troops were killed in the fighting. Both sides are known to exaggerate casualties inflicted on the other.
Fighting has also erupted in several other provinces since the US military formally began pulling out its remaining 2,500 troops on May 1.
The Pentagon has downplayed the fighting.
“We’ve seen nothing thus far that has affected the drawdown, or had any significant impact on the mission at hand in Afghanistan,” US Department of Defence spokesman John Kirby said on Monday.
Nearly 20 years after US and allied NATO troops invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban government as they pursued Al-Qaeda after the September 11, 2001 attacks; President Joe Biden ordered in April the final withdrawal.
The Taliban attacks on government forces have raised concerns that American troops were also at risk as they pull out.
Meanwhile, US Central Command said Tuesday two to six percent of the withdrawal from Afghanistan has been completed, with the equivalent of 60 cargo planes so far removed ahead of the September deadline.
CENTCOM said 1,300 pieces of equipment had been sent for destruction and one facility in the southern province of Helmand had been transferred to the Afghan army since President Joe Biden’s April 14 announcement of the pullout.
The US military is to publish weekly updates on the withdrawal, including on “the retrograde of troops and equipment” and turning over equipment and facilities to the Afghan security forces.
Afghan troops have faced increased insurgent attacks in recent days in Helmand, where the United States on Sunday handed over the Antonik base as part of its formal pullout that began on May 1.
The US has downplayed the latest fighting and said the withdrawal process was unaffected as it removes its final 2,500 troops from the country.
US military leaders have raised fears that the Kabul government could fall to the Taliban after the pullout, and say the insurgents now control more Afghan territory than 10 years ago.
