Afghan Prez appoints new chief of army staff as Taliban captures 9 provincial capitals

Kabul [Afghanistan], August 12 : As the Taliban is gaining ground in the multiple key areas of Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani appointed a new chief of army staff on Wednesday in an attempt to give a robust response to the terror group on the ground.
Haibatullah Alizai replaced Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, as the new chief of army staff. Alizai previously worked as commander of the Afghan National Army Commando, Afghanistan Times reported.
Ahmadzai was appointed as army chief a few months back, but he has faced a lot of criticism due to his weak management. Meanwhile, commander of the Maiwand corps, Sami Sadat was appointed as commander of the Afghan National Army Commandos, Afghanistan Times added.
The Taliban's aggressive offensive has hit the Afghan Army badly as the terror group has snatched nine provincial capital from the government in Afghanistan.
On Wednesday, after holding out for days at a military base on the edge of Kunduz, hundreds of Afghan forces surrendered to the Taliban, handing over valuable equipment, according to two Afghan officers who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the news media, reported The Washington Post.
Due to rising violence in the country by the Taliban, the situation is deteriorating badly as the terror group has been looting people and killing civilians after capturing multiple areas from the government.
The Taliban escalated its offensive against the Afghan forces soon after the US forces started fleeing Afghanistan in large numbers after the peace deal signed between Washington and the Taliban in February last year.