With the capture of Fayzabad in Afghanistan’s northernmost province, the Taliban now control nine provincial capitals within Afghanistan— one-fourth of the nation’s capitals, and more territory than the group has held at any point since the U.S. invasion in October 2001.

The astonishing speed at which the conquests were completed—each of the nine was seized in less than a week—has thrown Afghan forces into disarray and caused panic among Western observers. In response to the Taliban offensive, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul has requested that all U.S. citizens leave the country as quickly as possible—even as President Joe Biden promises to continue his support of Afghanistan’s government.

While Afghanistan’s forces remain far stronger than the Taliban on paper—the Afghan security forces number 300,000, according to official sources—many of them are regarded as “ghost soldiers” who have either deserted or simply never existed in the first place. Of the soldiers that remain, many in the rank and file are demoralized. A CNN correspondent watched as Afghan forces in the city of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, deserted in broad daylight.

While the Afghan government retains full control of roughly 60 of the nation’s 421 districts, these districts are restricted to the country’s center and east, while the Taliban has shored up its control of the nation’s south, west, and north. The group’s northern advance is particularly alarming, as northern Afghanistan is predominantly comprised of non-Pashtun Afghans who are historically opposed to the largely Pashtun Taliban movement. Many of these areas, including Fayzabad, were home to the “Northern Alliance” from 1996 to 2001, during the Taliban’s first period of rule.

The Afghan government also clings to major cities surrounded by Taliban territory, including Kandahar in the country’s far south and Herat in its far west. Both these cities are under siege. On Wednesday, the Taliban announced that they had seized Kandahar’s prison, releasing around 1,000 inmates and helping to bolster their ranks. 

In spite of the Afghan government’s collapse, President Biden has indicated that he does not regret the withdrawal and will not return U.S. troops to the country. The president repeated on Tuesday that the Afghans were obligated to defend their own country and could not rely on American ground support. The U.S. Air Force continues to conduct air operations in support of the Afghan army, but it may cease these operations on August 31, when the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is set to officially end.

Trevor Filseth is a current and foreign affairs writer for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters