The situation is so dire in Afghanistan that experts believe that the capital, Kabul, could fall into the hands of the Taliban within the next 30 days. Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby says the Afghan government refuses to allow the United States to offer air support to its military forces.

Afghanistan's Ambassador, Adela Raz, has criticized President Joe Biden for refusing military aid and suggesting there is a political solution in his country after the Taliban offensive. She refuses to believe in negotiating with terrorist groups and does not believe they will yield positive results.

Raz herself has lost relatives of her in the War in Afghanistan and recalled that members of her own family are joining the armed struggle to try to defend themselves from the Taliban. The ambassador called on the United States and its allies to once again ban Taliban leaders from traveling and consider other sanctions.

The Afghan forces are proving incapable of fighting extremist groups. Intelligence reports suggest that the Taliban are advancing faster than their worst forecasts predicted. This week, it took control of three more provincial capitals and already dominate two-thirds of the country.

The rapid advance of the Taliban has not made the Biden administration reconsider its approach. Raz has also called for increased air support, and the Department of Defense has offered to continue collaborating on airstrikes, but warns it will not always be "feasible." The United States is ready to complete the withdrawal of its ground troops by the end of the month.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until the invasion by U.S. forces following the September 11 attacks. From the Sunni fundamentalist branch of Islam, the movement was founded by veterans of the Afghan war against the invasion of the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

Since the arrival of U.S. forces, the Taliban have regrouped and waged a guerrilla war on the governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the NATO International Force, which withdrew in December 2014. The Taliban does not have an air force, but without the support of the United States, the Afghan defense forces are overwhelmed by the insurgents.

During their time in power, the Taliban established a strict interpretation of Sharia law. Among its consequences, women were forced to wear the burqa in public and could not work or study after reaching eight years of age.

A male doctor could also not attend to them unless they were accompanied by a male relative, which meant that many illnesses were not treated. Women were relegated to the home and their housework. They could also not practice sports or engage in any artistic expressions like dancing and painting.

But the most serious consequence was the installation of flogging and stoning in the street for violating the law. Being homosexual or committing adultery was also punished by throwing stones in a public space at the "culprit."

The terror that took another form with the arrival of international forces in 2002 is once again reverting back.