KABUL, Afghanistan — Another provincial capital, the second in two days, all but fell on Saturday in Afghanistan, officials said, this one in the country’s north, where a Taliban offensive has surrounded several cities since international forces began withdrawing in May. The capital, Sheberghan, in Jowzjan Province, collapsed less than 24 hours after a provincial capital in southwestern Afghanistan was also taken over by the Taliban. “The whole city has collapsed,” said Abdul Qader Malia, the deputy governor of Jowzjan. Much of the province, though, which borders Turkmenistan, is now under Taliban control. The Taliban victories — and Afghan government defeats — come despite continued American air support and are the result of an insurgent strategy that has overstretched and exhausted Afghan government forces.

Source: New York Times August 07, 2021 12:13 UTC