NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

Biden Administration Fears Taliban Could Seize Afghan Capital Within a Month, Says Report

A ferocious offensive has seen the Taliban take eight provincial capitals within a week.

The Biden administration is reportedly preparing for a worst-case scenario that would see the resurgent Taliban seize Afghanistan’s capital city—Kabul—within just 30 days. The ferocity of the Taliban’s nationwide offensive in recent weeks has shocked U.S. and Afghan officials, with the group taking control of eight of the 34 provincial capitals within the past week. Initially, U.S. intelligence assessed that Kabul could fall within six to 12 months of a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, but that has reportedly been scaled back dramatically. According to The Washington Post, U.S. military officials now fear that Kabul could fall within 90 days—and some officials told the paper it could happen within a month. “Everything is moving in the wrong direction,” said one unnamed official. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he had no regrets over his decision to withdraw U.S. troops, and urged Afghanistan’s leaders to “fight for their nation.”