Afghanistans acting finance minister has resigned and left the country after the Taliban armed group took more than a quarter of Afghanistans provincial capitals in less than a week.
The group has captured nine provincial capitals in Afghanistan since Friday, including Faizabad, Farah, Pul-e-Khumri, Sar-e-Pul, Sheberghan, Aybak, Kunduz, Taluqan and Zaranj.
The Taliban has already gained vast parts of rural Afghanistan since launching a series of offensives in May to coincide with the start of the final withdrawal of foreign forces.
Here are the latest developments:
6 mins ago (10:41 GMT)
Germany says deporting Afghan asylum seekers still possible
Germany still believes it should be possible to deport Afghan asylum seekers despite significant advances of Taliban fighters in their country, an interior ministry spokesperson says, adding cases are handled on individual merit.
Speaking at a regular German government briefing, a foreign ministry spokesperson notes that the situation in Afghanistan is changing very quickly.
The comments comes after six European Union member states including Germany warn the blocs executive on Tuesday against halting deportations of rejected Afghan asylum seekers arriving in Europe.
16 mins ago (10:31 GMT)
Afghanistans leaders must fight for themselves, nation: Biden
US President Joe Biden has urged Afghanistans leaders to fight for their homeland as the Taliban armed group tightens its grip on the countrys territory.
Afghan leaders have to come together, Biden tells reporters at the White House, adding the Afghan troops outnumber the Taliban and must want to fight.
Read more here.
Taliban fighter (C) is seen surrounded by locals at Pul-e-Khumri [Stringer/AFP]
1 hour ago (09:34 GMT)
Timeline: Afghanistan provincial capitals captured by Taliban
Taliban fighters have made rapid advances across Afghanistan in recent months as the United States and other foreign forces withdraw from the nation 20 years after they invaded.
Here are the provincial capitals that have fallen to or are being attacked by the armed group, which is fighting to reimpose its rule after its government was toppled in 2001.
Read more here.
2 hours ago (08:59 GMT)
Afghan finance minister quits, leaves country
Khalid Payenda, Afghanistans acting finance minister, has resigned and left the country after the Taliban captured key customs posts bleeding the administration of revenue, according to Bloomberg media network.
Payenda has resigned and left the country because Afghanistan is grappling with declining revenues after the takeover of the custom posts, finance ministry spokesman Mohammad Rafi Tabe tells Bloomberg.
Taliban fighters are seen inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province [Mohammad Asif Khan/AP]
The deteriorating security situation and travelling to be with his ailing wife abroad, were the other reasons Tabe gave.
It was not immediately clear where Payenda was going to.
The former minister tweeted on Tuesday to say he was quitting his post but gave no reasons for it.
2 hours ago (08:35 GMT)
Hundreds of soldiers surrender near Kunduz: lawmaker
Hundreds of Afghan soldiers who retreated to the airport outside Kunduz after the Taliban captured the northern city at the weekend have surrendered, a local lawmaker tells the AFP news agency.
Amruddin Wali, a member of the Kunduz provincial council, says soldiers, police and uprising forces surrendered to the Taliban with all their military gear.
3 hours ago (07:56 GMT)
Taliban in control of Kunduz airport: local sources
Local sources in Kunduz confirm Taliban reports that they have taken the provincial airport and that members of the Afghan National Security Forces have surrendered to the group, Al Jazeeras Ali M Latifi reports from Kabul.
Since the province fell on Sunday, the airport had been the only part of the province that the Taliban had not yet taken control of, he says.
3 hours ago (07:46 GMT)
Taliban seizes Afghan borders with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan: Russia
Taliban fighters have taken control of Afghanistans borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as they continue their rapid offensive, Russias defence minister has said.
Sergei Shoigu told a youth conference in Moscow on Tuesday that the groups leaders had promised not to attack neighbouring countries after making its territorial gains, Russias Tass news agency reported.
Read more here.
3 hours ago (07:37 GMT)
Uncertainty dominates second day of Doha talks
Al Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Doha, says it is so far unclear what the agenda is on the second day of Afghanistan talks held in the Qatari capital.
At the end last night, after a long day of talks some of the diplomats in attendance indicated that perhaps today there might be a meeting of the extended Troika countries thats Russia, the US, China and Pakistan on the sidelines of these international meeting regarding peace in Afghanistan, he says.
Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, the capital of Farah province [Mohammad Asif Khan/AP]
The extended Troika that is a Moscow-initiated group that meets and consults on ways to try and support inter-Afghan peace talks.
He also says that it is hard to say if the meeting actually happens, because Russia did not attend the first day of talks.
It was unclear why they didnt show up, but it is expected that it will play a part today, he says.
3 hours ago (07:18 GMT)
Taliban claim firing rockets into Bagram airbase
The Taliban claim to have fired rockets into the Bagram airbase located north of Kabul.
An official at the airbase has said the rockets did not reach the base, landing instead in far off areas, according to Al Jazeeras Ali M Latifi, reporting from Kabul.
4 hours ago (06:18 GMT)
Ninth Afghan provincial capital falls to Taliban
Badakhshan provinces capital Faizabad is the latest to fall to the Taliban.
Zabihullah Attiq, a local lawmaker, tells the AFP news agency that security forces had retreated from the city after days of heavy clashes.
The Taliban have captured the city now, he says.
5 hours ago (05:38 GMT)
Three more provincial capitals fall to Taliban: Officials
Afghan officials say three more provincial capitals have fallen to the Taliban since Tuesday, putting nine of the countrys 34 in the armed groups hands amid the US withdrawal.
The officials tells The Associated Press that the capitals of Badakhshan, Baghlan and Farah provinces all fell Faizabad, Pul-e-Khumri and Farah respectively.
The Afghan government and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
5 hours ago (05:35 GMT)
President Ghani flies into Mazar-i-Sharif
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flies to the besieged northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to rally his beleaguered forces, with Taliban fighters having now taken more than a quarter of the countrys provincial capitals in less than a week.
He plans to check the general security in the northern zone, according to a statement released by the palace.
The Afghan leader is also likely to hold talks with Mazar-i-Sharifs longtime strongman Atta Mohammad Noor and infamous militia leader Abdul Rashid Dostum about the defence of the city as Taliban fighters inch closer to its outskirts.
The loss of Mazar-i-Sharif would be a catastrophic blow to the Kabul government and represent the complete collapse of its control over the north long a bastion of anti-Taliban militias.
