The Taliban may be executing surrendering Afghan troops, U.S. Embassy says

Kabul — The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said Wednesday that it was hearing reports of the Taliban executing some surrendering Afghan troops, as the extremist group captured its 10th provincial capital in a week.

The Taliban took control of the strategically important city of Ghazni, which is on the Kabul-Kandahar motorway linking Kabul to militant strongholds in the south of the country. It now controls almost one third of the 34 provincial capitals in Afghanistan. The U.S. Embassy said the reported executions of surrendering Afghan troops were "deeply disturbing and could constitute war crimes."