The Taliban captured Afghanistan’s third-largest city and a strategic provincial capital near Kabul on Thursday, further squeezing the country’s embattled government just weeks before the end of the American military mission there.

Representative Image

Kabul:

The seizure of Herat marks the biggest prize yet for the Taliban, which has taken 11 of 34 provincial capitals as part of a weeklong blitz. Peace talks in Qatar remain stalled, though diplomats met through the day.