With the US forces handing over a military base to the Afghan forces, Khalilzad arrives in Kabul and Blinken, confirming Washington’s readiness for all scenarios

Sources confirmed that dozens of deaths occurred during attacks and battles with the Taliban, coinciding with the arrival of the US envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, to Kabul to meet with senior officials, while US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed his country’s readiness for all scenarios.

An Afghan government spokesman told Al-Jazeera that two suicide attacks targeted two government centers in the western Afghan state of Herat today, in addition to the killing of 30 Taliban militants and 3 Afghan forces in clashes in the same state. Read also Learn about the course of the US military presence in Afghanistan Le Monde: After 20 years of intervention, America has turned Afghanistan into a narco-state Among them are the possibility of the collapse of the government and the army and the outbreak of civil war … US warnings about the future of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of foreign forces The withdrawal from Afghanistan marks a new era in America’s strategy in foreign intervention

An Afghan security source told Al-Jazeera that 28 members of the government forces were killed in an attack by Taliban militants in Farah province in western Afghanistan.

And the Afghan Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that the battles in several provinces had killed more than 100 and wounded 52 Taliban fighters during the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, an Afghan Defense Ministry official told Al-Jazeera that US forces had handed Afghan forces over to the “Antonik” military base in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan.

The official added that the Afghan special forces will use this base in combating terrorism and responding to Taliban attacks in southern Afghanistan. The official also spoke about the return of US forces to Bagram base near Kabul in preparation for their return to their country.

Recent months have seen a continuation of the fighting in Afghanistan as peace efforts to end the 20-year-old conflict have faltered.

On the other hand, the death toll from the fire, which broke out on Saturday night in dozens of oil tankers in Kabul, rose to 9 dead and 14 injured, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry. Advertising

Witnesses said that more than 50 oil tankers and trucks, homes and shops were damaged by the fire, and it was not clear the cause behind the accident.

Peace efforts

Khalilzad arrived this morning in Kabul from the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, and he will meet with President Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee Abdullah Abdullah, to inform them of the results of the consultations held by the expanded troika with the delegations of the Afghan government and the Taliban movement.

The US envoy seeks to mobilize regional support for the countries neighboring Afghanistan, in order to play a greater role in promoting peace in the country.

On the other hand, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a television interview that his country is prepared for all scenarios that may result from the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, stressing that the withdrawal does not mean that Washington will abandon Kabul.

“We have been in Afghanistan for 20 years, so that we sometimes forget that we are there with the aim of dealing with those who attacked us on September 11th. Just because our forces return to our country does not mean that we are leaving, our embassy remains, and so is the economic and development support we provide to Afghanistan,” he added.

The US military officially began withdrawing the remainder of its 2,500 soldiers from Afghan soil on Saturday, pursuant to President Joe Biden’s orders last month.

American officials in the field said that the withdrawal began a few days before the beginning of this month, which is the deadline agreed upon between Washington and the Taliban last year to complete the withdrawal, provided that the withdrawal of all forces will end with the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.