Afghanistan

  SKIP NAVIGATION U.S. troops begin arriving in Kabul to evacuate embassy staff as Taliban seize major cities PUBLISHED FRI, AUG 13 2021 10:57 AM EDT UPDATED FRI, AUG 13 2021 6:14 PM EDT Kevin Breuninger @KEVINWILLIAMB U.S. Marines began arriving in Kabul on Friday to help evacuate embassy staff as the Taliban offensive continued its sweep through Afghanistan. The battalions are expected to be in place by the end of the weekend, and will be capable of supporting the evacuation of several thousand people a day, both U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals. MIlitants captured two of the country’s largest cities in recent days, and a Pentagon spokesman said they appear to be trying to isolate Kabul before moving on the city. WATCH NOW VIDEO 01:56 Taliban expands control in Afghanistan as U.S. plans to evacuate embassy U.S. Marines have begun arriving in Kabul to help secure the evacuation of embassy staff as the Taliban offensive sweeps through Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Friday. In jus...

Taliban capture Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city Published 1 hour ago Share Related Topics War in Afghanistan (2001-present) IMAGE SOURCE GETTY IMAGES image caption Thousands of people have fled to Kabul to escape street fighting and are living in makeshift camps The Taliban have captured Afghanistan's second largest city, Kandahar, in what is a crushing blow for the government and a major win for the militants. The city was once the Taliban's stronghold, and is strategically important as a leading trade hub. "Following heavy clashes late last night the Taliban took control of Kandahar city," a local government official told Reuters news agency. Kandahar is the latest city to fall, after Herat and Ghazni on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT The Taliban now control most of northern Afghanistan and about a third of the country's regional capitals. The insurgents have moved quickly, seizing new territories as US and other foreign troops withdraw after 20 years o...