Taliban fighters capture Afghan city at strategic junction north of Kabul

Officials in Pul-e-Khumri say government forces abandoned compounds during heady fighting, as Biden says Afghans must fight for themselves

The Taliban have captured the key Afghan city of Pul-e-Khumri, 140 miles north of the capital Kabul, giving the insurgents control of a strategic road junction linking Kabul to the north and west, according to insurgents and local officials.

Two officials in the city told the Guardian it fell to Taliban after heavy fighting on Tuesday, with officials and security forces abandoning their compounds.