Taliban

Taliban take Afghanistan’s third-largest city in onslaught

By Tameem Akhgar, Rahim Faiez, Jon Gambrell, Associated Press

The latest advance further squeezed the country's embattled government just weeks before the end of the American military mission there. The seizure of Herat on Thursday marks the biggest prize yet for the Taliban.

The Taliban now control two-thirds of Afghanistan. How did it happen so quickly?

The Taliban on Wednesday seized three more Afghan provincial capitals and a local military headquarters in northern Afghanistan. The insurgents now hold some two-thirds of the nation as the U.S. and NATO finalize their withdrawal after decades of war. Bill…

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Taliban complete northeast Afghan blitz as more cities fall

By Tameem Akhgar, Jon Gambrell, Associated Press

The Taliban seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan and a local army headquarters completing their blitz across the country's northeast and pressing their offensive elsewhere, officials said Wednesday.

Six EU nations want migrants forced back to Afghanistan

By Lorne Cook, Associated Press

Six European Union countries want the forced deportation of migrants back to Afghanistan to continue despite the government in Kabul suspending such “non-voluntary returns.”…

WATCH: White House says Taliban takeover of Afghanistan ‘not inevitable’

By Associated Press

The White House defended its decision to pull out American forces and end the U.S. war in Afghanistan by the end of the month as the situation rapidly deteriorates and the Taliban accelerates its gains across the country.

U.S. vows to isolate Taliban if they take power by force

By Kathy Gannon, Tameem Akhgar, Associated Press

A US peace envoy has brought a warning to the Taliban that any government that comes to power through force in Afghanistan won’t be recognized internationally.

Afghan security forces teeter on the brink of collapse amid Taliban onslaught

Ever since the Biden administration announced it was withdrawing military forces from Afghanistan by September, the security situation has deteriorated as the Taliban have stepped up their attacks. The insurgent group's rapid assault captured two more provincial capitals Monday, and…

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Pakistan official says a protracted Afghan war would be ‘nightmare scenario’

By Kathy Gannon, Associated Press

Pakistan's national security advisor says a protracted war in neighboring Afghanistan is Pakistan's "nightmare scenario." He also slammed relentless blaming of Islamabad for the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have taken more provincial capitals in Afghanistan

By Rahim Faiez, Associated Press

The militants have ramped up their push across much of Afghanistan, turning their guns on provincial capitals after taking large swaths of land in the mostly rural countryside.

Taliban takes key northern Afghan cities as battles rage on

By Rahim Faiez, Brian Rohan, Associated Press

Taliban fighters seized most of the capital of northern Afghanistan’s key Kunduz province on Sunday, and took another neighboring provincial capital after a monthlong siege. The advances were the latest in a series of blows to government forces as U.S.