Taliban seize four more provincial capitals in Afghanistan

Insurgents' seemingly unstoppable advance continues as they close in on Kabul

The Taliban's seemingly unstoppable advance across Afghanistan continued on Friday, as insurgents took control of four more provincial capitals after their seizure on Thursday of Kandahar and Herat, the country's second and third biggest cities.

With Afghan government forces in disarray, and amid reports that the country's vice-president has fled, the Taliban are heading inexorably towards Kabul. They control more than two-thirds of the country, just as the US plans to pull out its last remaining troops.