TOPSHOT - A stranded Afghan family waits for the reopening of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman on August 13, 2021, after the Taliban took control of the Afghan border town in a rapid offensive across the country. (Photo by - / AFP) — AFP or licensors
The Taliban seized more major cities on Friday as they raced to take full control of Afghanistan and inched closer to Kabul, with the United States and Britain deploying thousands of troops to evacuate their citizens from the capital.
The government has now effectively lost most of the country following an eight-day blitz into urban centres by the Taliban that has also stunned Kabul's American backers.
The first wave of the offensive was launched in early May after the United States and its allies all but withdrew their forces from Afghanistan, with President Joe Biden determined to end two decades of war by September 11.
Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the fighting that has enveloped the country.
In recent days, Kabul has been swamped by the displaced, who have begun camping out in parks and other public spaces, sparking a fresh humanitarian crisis in the already overtaxed capital.
Internally displaced Afghan families, who fled from the northern province due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces, sit in the courtyard of the Wazir Akbar Khan mosque in Kabul on August 13. — AFP
A stranded Afghan national carries his son at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border-crossing point in Chaman on August 13. — AFP
Internally displaced Afghan families, who fled from Kunduz, Takhar and Baghlan provinces due to battles between Taliban and Afghan security forces, sit in front of their temporary tents at Sara-e-Shamali in Kabul on August 11. — AFP
Internally displaced Afghan people, who fled from the northern province due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces, gather to receive free food being distributed at Shahr-e-Naw Park in Kabul on August 13. — AFP
Internally displaced Afghan women, who fled from the northern province due to battles between the Taliban and Afghan security forces, gather to receive free food being distributed at Shahr-e-Naw Park in Kabul on August 13. — AFP
An internally displaced child from northern provinces, who fled from his home due to the fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces, sleeps in a public park that they use as shelter in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 10. — Reuters
In this picture taken on August 13, Taliban fighters stand guard along the roadside in Herat, Afghanistan's third-biggest city, after government forces pulled out the day before following weeks of being under siege. — AFP
Internally displaced Afghan families, who fled from the northern province due to battles between the Taliban and Afghan security forces, sit in temporary tents in the courtyard of the Wazir Akbar Khan mosque in Kabul on August 13. — AFP
A market is shuttered closed over security fears during fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, in Kandahar, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug 12. — AP
Pakistani soldiers (R) check stranded Afghan nationals at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border-crossing point in Chaman on August 13. — AFP
Taliban fighters stand on a vehicle along the roadside in Kandahar on August 13. — AFP
Header image: A stranded Afghan family waits for the reopening of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border-crossing point in Chaman on August 13, after the Taliban took control of the Afghan border town. — AFP
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