Taliban took Kaldar, Balkh.
A little over a day ago, the Afghan government made a big deal about clearing out Kaldar, Balkh of Taliban militants. I posted the update stating that the government is in a worse position than they’re letting on because Kaldar is government controlled.
Only two hours later, the Taliban posted an update that they took Kaldar with a picture of them standing in front of the Kaldar district center and a video of Afghan government forces escaping at night.
Afghans are sensitive to what’s happening, so I gave the Afghan government the benefit of the doubt and didn’t post the embarrassing update that the Taliban took Kaldar hours after the government claimed to have cleared it of Taliban. The situation is fluid and maybe the government will retake it, so I left it alone.
So now TOLO News beat me to it and posted the update that the Taliban took Kaldar, so there it is.
The Afghan government is corrupt. It lied to the Afghan people for twenty years and continues to lie as it ends. Afghan people are desperate for good news, so the Afghan government gives it to them despite knowing it’s fake news believing it’s doing some good, I suppose. The Afghan government is not a player, not a relevant force. It doesn’t deserve any benefit of doubt, any generosity.
Twenty years and photo opportunities is the best they can do.