US troop's speedy withdrawal escalated violence: Afghan president

Kabul: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is reported to have blamed the US troop's speedy withdrawal for the escalation of the violence in the country while the security forces are struggling to prevent provincial cities from falling into the hands of the Taliban.

Addressing the Parliament on Monday, Ghani told that "an imported, hasty" peace process "not only failed to bring peace but created doubt and ambiguity" among Afghans.

In apparent recognition of the scale of the Taliban advance, Ghani said that his administration would now focus on protecting provincial capitals and major urban areas in the face of a rapid Taliban advance." The Taliban do not believe in lasting or just peace," he said.

The Taliban fighters have assaulted at least three provincial capitals overnight on Sunday, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Herat, which resulted in thousands of civilians fleeing the advancing militants, said the Guardian report.

Fighting raged in Lashkar Gah, Helmand's provincial capital, where the Taliban launched coordinated attacks on the city centre and its prison after the government announced the deployment of hundreds of commandos to the area, the report added.

The Kandahar airport also came under attack overnight on Sunday, with the Taliban firing rockets that damaged the runway, leading to the suspension of flights for several hours.

Meanwhile, hours after the President's remarks, Taliban fighters seized control of the provincial government's radio and TV building, replacing normal broadcasts with religious songs.