Taliban seizes key Afghan city of Ghazni; Kabul could be captured in next 90 days

Kabul, Aug 12: Two Afghan officials and the Taliban say the militants have seized the provincial capital of Ghazni.

The capture Thursday marks the 10th provincial capital seized by the insurgents in the last week.

Fighting was still ongoing on the outskirts of the city. However, officials say the Taliban were raising their flag and the city had calmed after hours of heavy fighting.

The Afghan central government in Kabul and the security forces did not immediately acknowledge the capture of Ghazni.

Ghazni is some 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Kabul.

According to Reuters, a US defence official cited the country's intelligence sources late on Wednesday and estimated that the Taliban could isolate Kabul in about a month.

Considering their the resurgent Taliban advances across Afghanistan it is speculated that, the militants could also seize control of the Afghan capital within 90 days, the official was quoted as saying by the news agency.

"But this is not a foregone conclusion," the official said though he claimed that the Afghan security forces could reverse the momentum if they put up more resistance.

All gateways to Kabul, which lies in a valley surrounded by mountains, have been choked with civilians entering the city and fleeing violence elsewhere, a Western security source told Reuters.

"The fear is of suicide bombers entering the diplomatic quarters to scare, attack and ensure everyone leaves at the earliest opportunity," he said.