Afghan prez prepares for civil war | Economic Times

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani views peace talks with the Taliban as dead, and is looking to both arm civilians and cooperate with warlords to prevent the militant group from overrunning his administration in Kabul.Over the weekend the Taliban captured the capitals of four northern provinces and one in the west, where they met little resistance from the Afghan army. The US military, which has already withdrawn most of its troops ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline to exit the country after 20 years of war, said Sunday it conducted airstrikes in an effort to protect its allies.Describing the mood in the presidential palace as worse than ever, people with knowledge of the situation said Ghani is feeling increasingly isolated as the U.S. leaves the country and the Taliban gain diplomatic support from key countries such as Pakistan, Russia and China. His only way out, they said, is to rally Afghan groups opposing the Taliban to band together in an imminent civil war. While the government remains open to talks, the Taliban are backing away from negotiations, presidential spokesman Mohammad Amiri said on Monday. Ghani decided to “mobilize and arm” local people to fight against the Taliban after a meeting with top warlords and political leaders earlier in the day, he added.“Unfortunately, the Taliban don't believe in the peace talks,” Amiri said in a text message. “They are trying to grab power by force and such acts are not acceptable to the people and government of Afghanistan.” The last round of peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government took place in Doha, Qatar, on July 17. Taliban Capture Sixth Afghan Provincial Capital Taliban militants captured a sixth provincial Afghan capital on Monday, a lawmaker said, after they ousted Afghan security forces from border towns and trade routes as US-led foreign forces pull out. The Taliban, fighting to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster, have stepped up their campaign to defeat the government as foreign forces withdraw after 20 years of war. “Right now the Taliban are fighting with Afghan forces to capture the police headquarters and compound of the provincial governor,” said Ziauddin Zia, a lawmaker in Aybak. “Several parts of the capital have fallen to the Taliban.” (With inputs from Reuters)