Afghan conflict: Taliban near Kabul and attack northern stronghold
Taliban fighters have edged closer to the Afghan capital Kabul, as their rapid advance shows no sign of slowing.
Fighting has been reported in Maidan Shar, 40km (25 miles) from the capital, and in Mazar-e-Sharif, the only major city in the north still under government control.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he is holding intensive talks with regional and international allies.
More than a quarter of a million people have been displaced by the violence.
With much of the country in Taliban hands many of those fleeing have headed towards Kabul in the hope of finding safety.
Women in areas captured by the Taliban described being forced to wear burkas and the militants are also reported to have beaten and lashed people for breaking social rules.
US troops now in Kabul will be able to airlift thousands of people a day, officials say.
Around 600 British troops are due to arrive in the city this weekend to help with the withdrawal of UK citizens. They will also assist the relocation of Afghans who helped British forces and now risk reprisals from the Taliban.
Other Western countries are now scrambling to evacuate their nationals, scaling back their presence in Afghanistan and in some cases closing their embassies altogether.
A number of cities have negotiated surrenders with the Taliban as resistance from government forces crumbles. However, there is no sign of that happening in Kabul.
The capitals of two more provinces, Paktika and Kunar, fell to the militants on Saturday. Unverified footage from the city of Assadabad, in Kunar, showed people waving the Taliban flag and walking through the streets.
The Taliban are now in control of more than half of the provincial capitals in the country.