Afghanistan’s Herat under pressure amid ongoing Taliban assault

Battle for western city comes as Taliban also tries to inch closer to the southern cities of Kandahar and Lashkar Gah.

Kabul, Afghanistan – Intense fighting in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat continued for a third day on Saturday as the Taliban continued an assault to take the province’s eponymous capital, home to hundreds of thousands of people. Residents fear that the group could enter Herat, the nation’s third-largest city, any day. On Friday, the road leading to the Khwaja Abdullah Ansari International Airport, 10.5km (6.5 miles) from the city, was the site of intense battles between the Afghan National Security Forces and the Taliban.