Biden Briefed on Taliban Offensive in Afghanistan, No Change in Plans - Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden was informed on Sunday about the Taliban* offensive in Afghanistan and the seizure of several regional centres, but the troop pullout plan remains unchanged, The New York Times reported, citing sources in the administration.

Earlier in the day, the Taliban said they had gained control of the provinces of Kunduz and Sar-e Pol, though the Afghan authorities denied these claims. The militants also said they had taken the city of Taleqan, the centre of the northeastern Afghan province of Takhar.

On Saturday, the radical movement claimed to have seized control of the southwestern province of Nimruz, as well as the northern province of Jowzjan. The deputy governor of Jowzjan confirmed that the province had been lost to the Taliban. In response, the US dispatched B-52 bombers to suppress their territorial advances.

Concerning the situation, the US presidential aides are in close contact with the country's embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul, and senior defence officials have communicated over the phone about the Taliban's offensive, the newspaper said.

At the same time, a senior official in the administration said Biden and his advisers did not intend to change their plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by the end of August, according to The New York Times. The official noted that the White House's strategy in this regard remains unchanged, while the Pentagon is ready to provide the Afghan authorities with the necessary resources, the newspaper stated.

The standoff between Afghan government forces and the Taliban has worsened of late, with the Islamist movement overrunning rural and border regions and starting an offensive on large cities.

* A terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other nations.