In response to increased U.S. air strikes, Taliban militants have switched strategy from targeting rural areas of Afghanistan to attacking provincial cities. Taliban want to defeat US-backed government in Afghanistan.
Fighting is particularly heavy in the city of Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar. “Mullah Yaqoob argued that when U.S. didn’t fulfil their commitment why should Taliban be made to follow the accord?”, one of commanders.
Suhail Shaheen, Taliban negotiator, told Reuters the group was continuing its policy of seizing control of rural areas and implementing Islamic Sharia there, rather than focusing on cities i.e. before air strikes.
Changed strategy:
According to some experts Taliban have changed their strategy. For example, “Taliban are pushing against the provincial capitals … not just to exert pressure but to capture them,” said Asfandyar Mir.
But they themselves say that this strategy is important for us i.e. “The operations in Kandahar and Herat are very much important to us and our priority is to capture the two crucial airports or airbases in Kandahar and Herat,” said one of the commanders of Taliban forces.
Capturing Kandahar and Herat would mean allot to Taliban and it will give boost to their will to acquire Afghanistan. But it is still unclear that whether US would stop air strikes or not.
