Taliban Takes 4 More Cities in Afghanistan’s South

Just weeks before the U.S. is set to officially end its 20-year war with Afghanistan, the Taliban took over four more capitals in the country’s south.

In the past 24 hours, the country’s second and third largest cities - Herat in the west and Kandahar in the south - were overtaken by insurgents, as was the capital of the southern Helmand province.

As reported by the Associated Press, insurgents now hold half of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals and control more than two-thirds of the country.

While Kabul, the capital, isn’t directly under threat yet, Taliban were battling government forces in Logar province, just 50 miles away. Indeed, the U.S. military estimates that Kabul could be overtaken within 30 days, and the rest of the country within a few months.

Human Events News previously reported that the United States plans to evacuate American citizens from the U.S. embassy in Kabul. Additionally, Britain said about 600 troops would be deployed to support British nationals, and Canada is also sending special forces to help evacuate its embassy.