Taliban take 10th Afghan provincial capital in blitz as US, NATO forces prepare to withdraw

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban captured a provincial capital near Kabul on Thursday, the 10th the insurgents have taken over a weeklong blitz across Afghanistan as the U.S. and NATO prepare to withdraw entirely from the country after decades of war.

The militants raised their white flags imprinted with an Islamic proclamation of faith over the city of Ghazni, just 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Kabul. Sporadic fighting continued at an intelligence base and an army installation outside the city, two local officials told The Associated Press. The Taliban published videos and images online showing them in Ghazni, the capital of a province with the same name.