
Taliban capture Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan's fourth largest city
India Today
The Taliban have made major advances in recent days, including capturing Herat and Kandahar, the country's second- and third-largest cities.
Mazar-e-Sharif, the fourth-largest city in Afghanistan, fell to the Taliban on Saturday after a multipronged assault launched by insurgents, according to a lawmaker. Balkh lawmaker Abas Ebrahimzada said the province's national army corps surrendered first, which prompted the pro-government militias and other forces to lose morale and give up in the face of the onslaught.
Oil and gas refineries and hubs are up in flames not just in the Middle East, but also in Russia and the US. Crude oil prices have surged over $100 a barrel. With the energy infrastructure in the Middle East likely to take years to be rebuilt, the world could be set for the biggest oil disruption in history.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said the United States was in contact with "the right people" in Iran and suggested that Tehran was eager to reach an agreement to halt hostilities. "We're in negotiations right now," he told reporters, without offering further details on the scope or format of the talks.











