A senior U.S. military commander stated that the U.S. will continue its air strikes to support the Afghan army. Taliban attack Before the United States and other international forces withdrew from Afghanistan.

Taliban won A series of battlefield victories In recent weeks, foreign troops headed by the United States are about to complete their withdrawal in the country after 20 years.

US President Joe Biden had earlier promised that all US troops would withdraw from Afghanistan before September 11 (the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks), but later Advance the deadline By the end of August.

U.S. Marine Corps Admiral Kenneth McKenzie said: “In the past few days, the United States has increased its airstrikes against the Afghan army. If the Taliban continue to launch attacks, we are prepared to continue to increase them in the coming weeks. Great support for the Afghan forces.” A press conference held in the capital Kabul on Sunday.

Mackenzie, who leads the U.S. Central Command, declined to say whether the U.S. military will continue air strikes after the military mission ends on August 31.

“The Afghan government is facing severe tests in the coming days… The Taliban is trying to create an inevitable feeling for their campaign,” Mackenzie said, adding that the Taliban’s victory is not inevitable and a political solution The scheme is still possible.

In recent weeks, the Taliban have escalated their offensive, occupying rural areas and Border crossingAnd what are the neighboring provincial capitals in? U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milly Said last week It is an attempt to “isolate the main population center.”

Milli said that the organization has controlled about half of the country’s 419 regions and has “applied pressure” on 17 of the 34 provincial capitals, but has not controlled them.

Al Jazeera’s Heidi Chou-Castro reported in Washington, D.C. that Mackenzie did not express regret over the withdrawal of American troops on Sunday, but did not say how long the increased air support will last.

“Since 95% of American troops have left the country, President Biden has politically promised to let all American soldiers take off their boots. [Afghanistan] Until August 31,” she said. “But there are definitely concerns about the latest developments in the Taliban. “

Afghan government Announce On Saturday, almost all 34 provinces in the country imposed night curfews to curb the surge of violence in the full-scale offensive by the Taliban.

The Ministry of the Interior said in a statement: “To curb violence and restrict the Taliban movement, 31 provinces across the country have imposed curfews”, with the exception of Kabul, Panjshir and Nangarhar.

Last week, 15 diplomatic missions and NATO representatives in Kabul Common urge The Taliban stopped their military offensive in Afghanistan.

“This Eid al-Fitr, the Taliban should always lay down their weapons and show the world their commitment to the peace process,” their statement read, referring to Muslim holiday.

The statement was supported by senior civilian representatives from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, and NATO.

At the same time, as part of the ongoing peace negotiations, the Afghan government and Taliban negotiators have met in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in recent weeks, but they Failed to reach an agreement After two days of negotiations, it ended last weekend.

However, the hostile parties stated that they are “committed to continuing high-level negotiations before reaching a settlement” and will speed up the process.

Mackenzie’s remarks on Sunday come at a time when hundreds of people have been killed in the recent fighting, tens of thousands have been displaced, and Afghans are worried that the country may fall into civil war.

Fighting in the southern city of Kandahar last month resulted in the displacement of approximately 22,000 families. “They all moved from the turbulent areas of the city to safer areas,” Dost Mohamed Dariab, head of the provincial refugee department, told AFP.

Fighting on the outskirts of Kandahar city continued on Sunday. Local resident Hafiz Mohammad Akbar said his house was taken over by the Taliban after he escaped. “They forced us to leave…I now live in a compound with no toilets with my family of 20 members,” Akbar said.

Others also expressed concern that the fighting might intensify in the coming days.

“If they really want to fight, they should fight in the desert instead of destroying the city,” Khan Mohammed, who moved to the camp with his family, also told AFP. “Even if you win, you won’t be able to cure the ghost town.”