Taliban capture Jalalabad, cut off Afghan capital Kabul from east

Kabul, Aug 15: An Afghan lawmaker and the Taliban say the militants have seized Jalalabad, cutting off Kabul to the east.

The militants posted photos online early Sunday showing them in the governor''s office in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province.

Abrarullah Murad, a lawmaker from the province told The Associated Press that the insurgents seized Jalalabad after elders negotiated the fall of the government there.

The seizure Sunday comes amid rapid gains by the Taliban over the last week, pressuring Afghanistan''s central government as US, British and Canadian forces rush troops in to help their diplomatic staffs still there. Thousands have poured into Kabul to flee the Taliban advance.