Afghanistan: Dr. Afzal Ashraf says Kabul likely to fall to Taliban as militant group advances

With the US and NATO forces withdrawing from Afghanistan after a long-running conflict since the 9/11 attacks, the Taliban has carried out a rapid takeover, the more troops from the west are leaving. With the country’s capital of Kabul at stake, regional expert Dr. Afzal Ashraf says it is only a matter of time before the insurgent group takes over.

Speaking to Sky News, Dr. Ashraf warned that the Afghan government that has already been recognized all over the world would face defeat to the militant group. Dr. Ashraf, a visiting fellow and regional expert from the University of Nottingham, explained that the Taliban forces and their Afghan supporters continue to increasingly make advances over the war-torn country. This also comes as the group announced that they have taken over another provincial capital.

“I think there will come a time sadly when the writing will be on the wall,” said Dr. Ashraf. “And people will decide in Kabul that it is better to give up rather than to fight to what will be a disastrous end for everybody concerned.”

Sky News anchor Alex Rossi then pressed the expert that it appears inevitable that Kabul will fall to the Taliban sooner or later. Dr. Ashraf said that it might be the case as of now. Dr. Ashraf’s comments also follow warnings made by UK Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood that the UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan would pose grave long-term consequences.

Speaking with Express at the time, Mr. Ellwood said that this situation is an embarrassment for western countries. Mr. Ellwood explained that the west has lost the credibility to uphold democracy when they are withdrawing after 20 years of military presence in the region in this manner.

At the same time, six countries are calling on the European Union to take action towards the increasing numbers of Afghans who are seeking asylum in other countries. Countries are calling on the EU leadership to reverse its decision to reject Afghan asylum seekers. 44,000 Afghans requested protection back in 2020, marking Afghanistan as the second-most important country of origin for those seeking asylum.

Austria, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece, and Germany have released a joint statement opposing the move by leadership, saying that the open door policies would encourage more arrivals into the European Union. They added that talks must increase between the EU and the Afghan government.