Human Rights Watch has reported that Taliban forces are killing detained soldiers and police, as well as civilians believed to have ties to the Afghan government.
The Taliban now controls around two-thirds of Afghanistan by area and its territory has grown quickly as allied forces withdraw. The fighting has resulted in thousands of families being displaced.
As of Thursday morning, 10 of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals had been captured by the militants. Eight were captured in less than a week and the militants are threatening to conquer at least three more. On Thursday morning, the Taliban said it had taken Ghazni city, 150 kilometers southwest of Kabul.
The militant group has also reportedly captured a police headquarters in Lashkar Gah, a key provincial capital in southern Afghanistan. Although the government still holds the capital, the Taliban is making advances there after a suicide car bombing on Wednesday began the targeting of police headquarters.
A U.S. defense official who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday cited U.S. intelligence as saying the Taliban could isolate Kabul in 30 days and possibly take it over within 90 days.The fighting has led to many Afghan security personnel Murals on the walls of the U.S. embassy in Kabul, seen on July 30. Taliban forces are making rapid gains as allied troops withdraw, and now control two-thirds of Afghanistan's territory.
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