As the US withdraws from Afghanistan, the Taliban pushes to gain control over as many cities possible. Each day is a battle for who will control key districts within the country.

A Fight For Afghanistan

Since the US started pulling out, the Taliban has seized the opportunity to gain more control. However, each day is a battle and even though they hold more districts now than ever before, it is an extremely dynamic and chaotic situation.

Ghanzi and Maidan Wardak are two main cities they have captured and they are attempting to take over Kunduz, Herat, Kandahar, and Kashkar Gah.

In some cities, the government has completely given up on holding, while others the Taliban has taken by force. Unfortunately, either way they are gaining more and more power as they capture each city and gain control of the resources there.

US Stepping In

At present, the Taliban are moving in on three major cities. Even though the United States is pulling out of the middle Eastern country, US forces stepped in to stop the forward movement of the insurgency.

The US Air Force mobilized B-52 bombers and Spectre gunships to impede the Taliban advance. The bombers came from a Qatar air base and struck targets near Kandahar, Herat, and Lashkar Gah.

The airstrikes were an attempt to stop the insurgents from taking more territory. According to Pentagon estimates, the Taliban already has control over fifty percent of the 419 districts.

Recently, they took control over Zaranji, a provincial capital. This marks one of their first captured capitals since they began making moves in May and is a decisive victory for the Taliban.

The very same day Zaranji fell, the chief media officer Dawa Khan Menapal was assassinated by the Taliban.

American Assistance

Even as America withdraws from the country, Afghani forces still rely on American air support. The recently mobilized B-52s carry 32 tons of bombs and have an impressive range. These bombers were vital in decimating the Taliban in 2001 and are still a highly effective weapon against them today.

Though these impressive bombers have not been used much in the last year or so, they are once against serving their purpose.

Along with the B-52s, the US Air Force is flying Reaper drones and AC-130 Spectre gunships to the tune of five missions per day.

Despite President Biden setting a withdrawal date of August 31, the Air Force plans to continue airstrikes as necessary in support of Afghani forces.