Taliban fighters could isolate Afghanistan’s capital in 30 days and possibly take it over in 90, a U.S. defence official told Reuters on Wednesday citing U.S. intelligence, as militants took control of an eighth provincial Afghan capital.
The Taliban now control 65% of Afghanistan and have taken or threaten to take 11 provincial capitals, a senior EU official said on Tuesday.
The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the new assessment of how long Kabul could stand was a result of the rapid gains the Taliban had been making around the country as U.S.-led foreign forces leave.
“But this is not a foregone conclusion,” the official added, saying that the Afghan security forces could reverse the momentum by putting up more resistance.
Wednesday’s loss of Faizabad, capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, was the latest setback for the Afghan government, which has been struggling to stem the momentum of Taliban assaults https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghan-cities-taken-over-or-contested-by-taliban-2021-08-10 .
It came as President Ashraf Ghani flew in to Mazar-i-Sharif to rally old warlords to the defence of the biggest city in the north as Taliban forces close in.
Updated 1020
Benna Raises Milk Prices Again as Production Costs Climb: Malta Dairy Products Ltd has increased the prices of several Benna dairy products for the second time in a year,...
Europe is taking tougher action against tankers falsely using Cameroon's flag registry to transport Russian oil, including boarding vessels at sea, prompting Cameroon to dump 39 such ves...
Updated 1020
Benna Raises Milk Prices Again as Production Costs Climb: Malta Dairy Products Ltd has increased the prices of several Benna dairy products for the second time in a year,...
Morning Briefing
Yorgen Fenech trial over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder begins
The long-awaited trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech over the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia ...
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
Malta Public Transport will be organising special bus services for the BBC Concert taking place on 4th July 2026, at the Granaries in Floriana.
In order to provide a more convenient t...
Developments in artificial intelligence are outpacing scientific understanding and government policy, meaning there are no guarantees the technology will not cause catastrophic harm, a...
The European Parliament has approved a major new initiative aimed at reducing workplace accidents and strengthening worker protection across the European Union, as concerns continue to g...
The European Union has approved new rules aimed at tightening the screening of foreign investments in strategic sectors, marking a major shift in Europe’s approach towards economic secur...
Malta Public Transport will be organising special bus services for the BBC Concert taking place on 4th July 2026, at the Granaries in Floriana.
In order to provide a more convenient t...
One month after Gozo’s public transport service has been fully electrified, Gozo’s bus service has recorded more than 332,000 passenger journeys across more than 16,220 trips, demonstrat...
The U.S. and Iran released the text of an interim agreement their presidents have signed to end their war on Wednesday, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to resume attacks and...
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had reached an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Te...
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
Kyiv will observe a day of mourning on Friday after a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack killed at least 13 people and injured about 90 others, according to city officials.
...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cut short his visit to Dublin on Wednesday, warning that the Kremlin would soon launch a new large-scale attack on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy was atten...
