Kashmir Digits

The Taliban claimed to have captured Afghanistan’s second-largest city Kandhar and Herat international airport in its blitzkrieg advance towards Kabul.

Residents in the city of Kandahar have confirmed to Al Jazeera that Afghanistan’s second-largest city has fallen to the Taliban.

The outfit has now captured Kandhar and Herat, the country’s second and third largest cities. This is a massive step for the Taliban as they continue to occupy the country. With these two cities, they have captured 12 cities within a week.

The fall of major cities was a sign that Afghans welcomed the Taliban, a spokesperson for the group said, according to Al Jazeera TV.

The Afghan government faces a challenging task in stopping this onslaught. They are now left with the capital city of Kabul and a small number of other cities under their control.

Meanwhile, the United States and Britain say they would send thousands of troops to help evacuate their embassy staff in the war-torn nation.