The Taliban seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan and a local army headquarters in an offensive across the country’s northeast.
Reports said on Wednesday that insurgents now control some two-thirds of the nation as the US and NATO finalize their withdrawal after its decades-long war.
The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces to the northeast and Farah province to the west put increasing pressure on the country’s central government to stem the tide of the Taliban advance.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rushed to Balkh province, already surrounded by Taliban-held territory, to seek help pushing back the insurgents from warlords linked to allegations of atrocities and corruption.
The multiple fronts of the battle have stretched the government’s special operations forces — while regular troops have often fled the battlefield — and the violence has pushed thousands of civilians to seek safety in the capital.
The Talibs earlier captured six other provincial capitals in the country in less than a week, including Kunduz in Kunduz province — a significant gain and one of the country’s largest cities.