US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday the Afghan security forces’ first task was to ensure they could slow the Taliban’s momentum before attempting to retake territory as Afghan forces plan to deploy troops around strategically important areas to consolidate the country.
The Afghan military is reportedly reviewing its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate troops around the most critical areas such as Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure.
“They are consolidating their forces around key population centers,” Austin told reporters during a visit to Alaska.
“In terms of whether or not to stop the Taliban, I think the first thing to do is make sure they can slow the momentum,” Austin said.
He added that he believed the Afghans had the ability and capacity to make progress, but “we’ll see what happens.”
The US military will end its mission in Afghanistan on August 31.
The Taliban have made rapid territorial gains as last foreign troops started to withdraw from Afghanistan. They control around half of the country’s district centers, according to US military.
