Afghan forces vow to retake districts lost to Taliban

KABUL: Afghan authorities on Tuesday vowed to retake all the districts lost to the Taliban and deployed hundreds of commandos to counter the insurgents’ blistering offensive in the north, a day after more than 1,000 government troops fled into neighbouring Tajikistan.

Fighting has raged across several provinces, but the insurgents have primarily focused on a devastating campaign across the northern countryside, seizing dozens of districts in the past two months.

Last week, all US and NATO forces left Bagram Air Base near Kabul -- the command centre for anti-Taliban operations. "There is war, there is pressure. Sometimes things are working our way. Sometimes they don’t, but we will continue to defend the Afghan people," National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib told reporters.

"We have plans to retake the districts," he added. Troops and pro-government militiamen were deployed in the northern provinces of Takhar and Badakshan where the Taliban has captured large swathes of territory at lighting speed, often with little resistance.

Afghan defence officials have said they intend to focus on securing major cities, roads and border towns in the face of the Taliban onslaught, launched as US and NATO troops pressed ahead with their final withdrawal in early May.

The militants´ rapid gains have spurred fears that Afghan forces are facing a spiralling crisis, particularly now that vital US air support has been massively curtailed by the handover of Bagram Air Base.

Mohib acknowledged that the Afghan air force was stretched and largely unable to support bases that were in remote districts. But he said the air force was now being reorganised and would offer the needed backup to troops on the ground. "We had some glitches as a result of the (US) retrograde... (that put) additional pressure on the Afghan air force, he said. "Next week we will receive seven Black Hawks" as part of Washington´s continued support of Afghan forces, he said.

On Monday, more than 1,000 Afghan troops fled into Tajikistan, forcing the neighbouring country to bolster the frontier with its own soldiers. Several hundred Afghan troops had already crossed into Tajikistan in recent weeks, in the face of an advancing Taliban. Mohib said the soldiers who fled were returning and rejoining the security forces. "They may have abandoned their posts because they ran out of ammunition or they ran out of supplies, but by no means has anyone defected to the Taliban," he said.

President Ashraf Ghani blamed the Taliban for all the "bloodshed and destruction", adding that his government will not "surrender" to the militants, a palace statement said.The fighting in the north has also forced Moscow to close its consulate in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province and one of Afghanistan´s largest urban centres near the border with Uzbekistan.

"The situation is changing rapidly. The Afghan forces, as they say, have abandoned too many districts. This logically creates nervousness," Moscow´s envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov told the state-run TASS news agency on Monday.

Back on the ground, Afghan commander General Mirassadullah Kohistani, who is now in charge of Bagram Air Base following the US exit last week, put on a brave face when asked about the insurgents´ rapid advances. "We are trying to do the best and as much as possible secure and serve all the people," he said. "You know, if we compare ourselves with the Americans, it''s a big difference," Kohistani said, admitting his forces could not be as "powerful" as the Americans."But according to our capabilities." The lack of a clear handover or transition plan appears to have made the task even more challenging. Kohistani said he only knew of the foreign forces'' exit after they had left." Just 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Kabul, the base is key to the security of the capital while also providing strategic cover to much of the country''s rugged north where the Taliban have focused their recent offensives.

Kohistani insists his troops can hold the base from the Taliban, and that he has "quite enough" soldiers. Though, with roughly 3,000 troops under his command, the figure is a tiny percentage of the number of American and allied forces during its US-led heyday.One soldier, a private named Rafiullah, offered a clear picture of what he expected would come.

"The enemy are determined and will definitely try to attack here," Rafiullah said as behind him two Afghan military helicopters took off. "But we will not give them the chance. " If or when the Taliban do mount an offensive to take Bagram, one of their top priorities will undoubtedly be a huge prison that holds up to 5,000 Taliban inmates.

"We haven''t come here to sleep. Everybody here is prepared to secure Bagram. Our morale is high," insisted Rafiullah.