Pentagon pressed on whether Taliban has advantage in Afghanistan

The Afghan military needs to step up its efforts if it hopes to counter the Taliban’s rapid expansion of territorial control in Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a news briefing Friday afternoon.

"That the Taliban have moved with the speed with which they have, and that the resistance that they have faced has been insufficient to stop those, to check those advances, does not mean is that the advantages aren't still there," Kirby said. "[They] have to use it." "Since you're saying that they have all the advantages as they're getting crushed on the battlefield, it makes no sense to say they have the advantage," Tomlinson followed up. "The Taliban appear to have all the advantages right now."