Afghan forces stretched, but resilient against Taliban push: U.N.

Afghan security forces are “undeniably stretched” but resilient amid a push by insurgents for more territory and concerns that Islamic State militants are also seeking a foothold in the country, the United Nations envoy to Afghanistan said on Monday. A Taliban suicide bomber and six gunmen attacked the Afghan parliament on Monday in a brazen assault that ended after a nearly two hour gun battle with NATO-trained Afghan security forces. The Taliban wrote to Islamic State’s leader urging the rival jihadist group to stop recruiting in Afghanistan, saying there is room for only “one flag, one leadership” in their fight to re-establish strict Islamist rule.

For the first time, Afghan forces have moved from a defensive to an offensive position and have shown more capability, potential and resilience than ever before.

Afghanistan’s U.N. Ambassador Zahir Tanin

Taliban fighters, who ruled Afghanistan with an iron fist from 1996 to 2001, are pushing to take territory more than 13 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led war. Fighting has spiraled since most foreign forces left the end of last year. Islamic State has declared a caliphate in the swathes of territory it controls in Syria and Iraq. A U.S.-led alliance has been targeting the radical Islamist group with air strikes in Iraq and Syria.

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