Taliban imposes two conditions on foreigners in Afghanistan

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The Taliban demanded today, Sunday, that all foreigners in the country either register their presence with the movement's administrators, or leave the country .

"Foreigners in Kabul must either leave if they want to, or register their presence with Taliban administrative officials," Reuters quoted a Taliban official as saying.

The official explained that "Taliban fighters are besieging Kabul, and the airport will be allowed to operate to leave foreigners who do not wish to register with the movement."

It is noteworthy that the Taliban movement has taken control of most major cities of strategic importance, and continues to advance in light of the retreat of government forces in front of them on all fronts .

Yesterday, CNN quoted a diplomatic source as saying that one of the intelligence assessments indicates that Kabul may become isolated by the Taliban within a week and perhaps within the next 72 hours.

A member of a local regional council said that the movement took control of the Afghan city of Bel Alam, which is about 70 kilometers from the capital, Kabul.

US military sources had estimated that Kabul could be attacked by insurgents within 30 days and that the Taliban could overrun the rest of the country in a few months, but in just days the militants took control of a large part of the north and west of the country .

The frequency of confrontations between Afghan security forces and Taliban militants has escalated, coinciding with the start of the withdrawal of US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, early last May, which is scheduled to be completed by next September 11.