Overstretched Afghan forces are pulling back from violent southern districts without a fight, ceding key territory to the resurgent Taliban as part of an unprecedented “strategic retreat” that has sto
Overstretched Afghan forces are pulling back from violent southern districts without a fight, ceding key territory to the resurgent Taliban as part of an unprecedented “strategic retreat” that has stoked fears government control is slipping.
Beset by record casualties, desertions and troop shortages, Afghan troops have recently abandoned outposts in parts of central Uruzgan province, extending a withdrawal which began last month.
They have already pulled out of Musa Qala and Nowzad districts in neighbouring Helmand, bastions that foreign troops struggled for years to defend as the opium-rich region teeters on the brink of collapse.
The retreat has triggered fevered speculation about possible government backroom deals with the Taliban at a time when international effor-ts are growing to bring the insurgents to the negotiating table.
“Once you start pulling out troops and surrendering hard-won territory, you are basically admitting that the Taliban have won,” said Mr Muham-mad Ismail, a tribal elder from Musa Qala who fled the area after government troops pulled out.
“This is a betrayal to all those who have sacrificed their lives to defend these areas over 15 years.”
The withdrawal has sparked concerns that the government is fast losing control of volatile Helmland.
The Taliban effectively controls or contests at least 10 of the 14 districts in Afghanistan’s biggest centre for opium production, a source of insurgent funding which mak-es the province a hotly-contested area. But Afg-han commanders dismiss claims of any Taliban deal, describing the recent withdrawals as a “tactical” manoeuvre aimed at consolidating forces from isolated, hard-to-defend areas.
