Afghan leader vows to fight back against Taliban

KABUL, Afghanistan

A former Afghan vice president on Wednesday vowed to fight back against the Taliban, describing the insurgents' takeover of northern provinces as a trap set for their defeat.

Abdul Rashid Dostum said in a statement in Kabul that the Taliban had come to northern Afghanistan in the past and had fallen into a trap. He added that the group has no place in the region.

He emphasized that people in the country's north will rise up against them and that the group will be defeated.

The statement was issued following a security meeting in the war-torn capital, where Dostum and other political leaders met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to discuss the details of an operation to be launched in northern and northeastern provinces.

Violence has escalated across Afghanistan as US-led foreign forces have almost withdrawn following 20 years of military operations.

The Taliban have rapidly captured several smaller administrative districts, and are now targeting towns and cities. They have captured nine provincial centers from government forces in six days.

US President Biden said on Tuesday he did not regret his decision to pull US troops from Afghanistan.

Biden maintained that his plans to exit militarily have not changed despite the group's battlefield successes, emphasizing that Afghanistan's leaders must come together to "fight for themselves, fight for their nation."

*Writing by Merve Berker