(NewsNationNow) — The Taliban is growing stronger in Afghanistan, now controlling roughly a third of all districts, as they push closer to the capital, Kabul.
Hundreds of Afghan military outposts are being surrendered without much of a fight.
Afghan forces are fleeing across the border to Tajikistan, as the U.S. is ending America’s longest war, moving up the timeline to drawdown troops to the end of August.
“We should be concerned,” General Austin S. Miller told ABC News. “The loss of terrain and the rapidity of that loss of terrain has to be concerning.”
Former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, says the U.S. and its allies fell short of defeating terrorism in the region.
“That’s where it failed. And that’s where our failure today is,” Karzai said on BBC.
General Austin S. Miller, will turnover responsibilities to General Frank McKenzie for a new mission of counterterrorism and to support Afghan forces after the drawdown.
President Biden’s original plan was to leave by September 11th.
The pullout has gone faster than expected, with U.S. forces leaving Bagram Airfield last week.
As the Taliban gains strength, there is fear for what that could mean there and abroad.
“If terrorist groups are allowed to regenerate somewhere like Afghanistan it will lead to more threat on the shores of our country and our allies,” said Alex Younger, the ex-head of MI6.