and in the west, the taliban is said to have been pushed back in the city of herat. thousands are evacuated from the outskirts of the greek capital, athens, as wildfires draw near. that's one of those situations where you say are in the capital of a major western metropolis, saying this can't be happening here, and yet it is. and barcelona football club says lionel messi, perhaps the greatest footballer on the planet, will leave the club after failing to reach agremeent on a new contract. we start with the escalating fighting in afghanistan. for months now, the taliban have been gaining ground in rural and underpopulated areas. now there's fierce conflict in several provincial capitals, the afghan army fighting back in crowded neighbourhoods, and all this putting more civilians in more danger. this map shows you some of the key areas of the fighting — kandahar, herat and lashkar gah. lashkar gah is the capital of helmand province, which was the former headquarters of the british forces. there's fierce fighting there, with the taliban now in control of large parts of

yes, herat is probably the third biggest city in afghanistan and it is the capital of herat province,n. it is a very important, wealthy province, lots of trade goes through the border with iran. the teller manner inside the city, lewis, and they have been for quite some time. —— the taliban are inside the city. there has been fighting on the edges. i spent time with military forces who are fighting alongside what is being called uprising forces, that is, citizens who are being armed, and in the case of herat, being had —— led by a warlord named ishmael khan. these militias are important to the fight across the country because the afghan security forces have been badly let down by their leadership and by the government. they are struggling to logistical resupply and other support. and so, as the caliban�*s —— taliban's assault and advance across the country has really frightened the afghan people, citizens have been taking up arms, joining these militias and fighting on the front line, and that is what i saw. i also saw a city that is incredibly tense, there are lots of people who are

gains yet against afghan government forces, taking a string of key cities including the third biggest, herat. as the security situation deteriorates, thousands of us and british troops are being sent back to help evacuate american and uk nationals. this is a temporary mission with a narrow focus. as with all deployments of our troops into harm's way, our commanders have the inherent right of self—defense and any attack on them can and will be met with a forceful and an appropriate response. record breaking heatwaves, forest fires and floods, the cost of weather disasters soars around the world. and dissent and danger on the streets of hong kong, an artist reflects on the potential risks of pursuing artistic freedom. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 6am in singapore, and 2.30 in the morning in afghanistan, where the taliban are sweeping through the country at an extraordinary pace. they've captured a third of the nation's provincial capitals. several of those cities, including afghanistan's third biggest city, herat, fell to the insurgent fighters in the

herat, fiercely contested between the two sides but the afghan government was not able to hold onto iting at defeat in kandahar, the second largest city in this country, lashkar gah the capital of the helmand province falling as well. and there are real worries among citizens here about what is next. what is the future of their capital, kabul? i see messages and social media from afghans talking about the last moments of freedom. but i think what happens here in the coming days will depend heavily on how the afghan government reacts to what's happened in this one day. so far, we have heard nothing from the top brass of the government, nothing from the president, nothing from the vice president or any of the big ministers. how they respond tomorrow to this situation will determine, you know, what happens next in the capital, kabul. as we mentioned, kandahar may have fallen to the taliban and the afghan freelance journalist bilal sarwary gave us more. in the last few minutes we have gotten confirmation that the city of kandahar has fallen into the hands of the taliban. all of the officia

herat — the country's third largest city — has fallen today.nd biggest — is on the brink of defeat. lashkar gah — the capital of helmand province, once the centre of the uk's presence there — has been overrun too. and ghazni, a strategically important cityjust 95 miles from the capital kabul, is also now in the hands of the islamist fighters. the speed of the taliban's advance means britain and the united states are sending more than 3,500 troops to help their civilians leave. they'll arrive by the weekend for what the ministry of defence is calling a short—term mission. ourfirst report tonight is from our defence correspondent jonathan beale. the taliban advance appears unstoppable, ruthless as ever to those who stand in their way. regional capitals are falling like dominoes. today, it was ghazni, just 85 miles from the capital kabul. in the face of this rapidly deteriorating security situation, today, britain announced it was temporarily sending 600 troops to kabul to facilitate the withdrawal of embassy staff and british citizens are still i

they've entered parts of herat, lashkar gah, and kandahar, afghanistan's second biggest city.e saw heavy fighting overnight, particularly in lashkar gah, capital of helmand province. both afghan and american air strikes being used against the taliban positions inside the city. you'll remember that yesterday the taliban had advanced at one point to around, we're told, 300 metres from the governor's compound right in the centre of lashkar gah before being pushed back. special forces were flown in. the government says that dozens of taliban fighters have been killed, but fighting has been continuing this morning, and, as you say, clashes have also been taking place in recent days elsewhere in the country too, notably around the cities of herat in the west and kandahar in the south. kandahar airport, three rockets were launched, hitting the runway last night — that's led to the closure of the airport today. when it comes to herat, well, the government say extra reinforcements have now arrived in the city. taliban forces are not inside herat, but they were fighting on the outskirts

when it comes to herat, well, the government say extra reinforcements have now arrived in the city.ting on the outskirts and clashes are continuing there, but those reinforcements are making government forces sound a bit more optimistic there. i think the most concerning place remains lashkar gah at the moment. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, has formally apologised for police raids which disproportionately targeted pacific communities in the 1970s. hundreds of people attended a special ceremony at the town hall in the city of auckland to hear this significant statement. the so—called dawn raids were carried out to find, convict and deport people from the pacific islands, suspected of overstaying their visas, but never those from the uk or the us or south africa. let's hearfrom ms adern. today, i stand on behalf of the new zealand government to issue a formal and unreserved apology to pacific communities for the discriminatory implementation of the immigration laws of the 1970s that led to the events of the dawn raids. from today, developers will have more freedom to c

this map shows you some of the key areas of the fighting in kandahar, herat as well as lashkar gah.is the situation earlier on thursday in herat, with taliban fighters reportedly moving freely in much of the city. here are the thoughts of some of the residents: translation: the situation is tough. | our houses have all been destroyed. people have all fled. there are eight or nine taliban on the roof of our house. if the security force hit there, everything will be destroyed. then where should we go? translation: we feel very bad. our house is in the in the basin area. right now, the taliban came into the area from another place. we can hear the gunfire, and just now a bullet hit the truck of a tank. we completely evacuated this area. we have nothing left, and we do not know where to go. helmand province was under the control of british forces, after a us led coalition invaded in 2001, in response to the september 11th terror attacks. in march 2012, corporaljake hartley was one of six british servicemen killed in helmand, when a bomb detonated beneath their armoured vehicle. at the t

and then government troops have been deployed to the west and city of herat to stop taliban fighters that advancing further towards the city. well, one person was killed and 3 others injured. when the afghan air force bombed a private hospital and lash gar, the owner of the hospitals, as african forces, mistakenly believe taliban fighters were inside. while a military spokesman has warned the deteriorating situation in the country. but to do what i advocate in 3 provinces, the security situation is critical, especially in alaska, the enemy had some movement security in defense, the forces of planning to intercept the enemy's movements 1st, then build defensive line and later launch offensive operations. joining me now is my sued her say me a pulitzer prize winning journalist, and i want to stony joins us via skype from combo. first of all, can i ask about these reports that the taliban has been targeting civilians and families who have been trying to escape the violence in the western city of herat? what have you been hearing about this? yes, shallow mariam john, while i'm sitting in

in herat today near the lranian — united states.ited states. in herat today near the iranian border, life is carrying| the iranian border, life is carrying on with an air of normality, but what will this city and the country feel like in a few months' time with the taliban back in charge? will it be 2001 all over again? the biden administration was strongly emboldened by poll suggesting a majority of americans support the policy of withdrawing american troops, but it is the manner of it that could dojoe biden so much harm, because it has been chaotic, the images have been terrible, and he is having to cut short his holiday, and what happens if anyone feels emboldened to attack america as a result of their collapse in a matter of days in afghanistan after nearly 20 years? america is the world's pre—eminent superpower, but after the past few days, it doesn't look very super and it actually doesn't look that powerful. the time is 17 minutes past six. our top story this evening: chaos at kabul airport as afghans try to flee the taliban,

hours before kandahar, herat was also _ important.- important. hours before kandahar, herat was also captured, a major. herat was also captured, a major centre near the border with iran. an influential government leader ishmail khan had led the battle against the taliban and now he has been captured by the insurgent group. helmand province, where british troops fought some of their fiercest battles is also under taliban control. 15 provinces falling in seven days have raised questions about the future of the afghan capital, kabul. what has happened in the span ofjust a week has taken the people, the government and its international partners by surprise. those who have the means are trying to get out of this country, and flights from kabul are completely booked, but for a majority of the population, they are waiting to see how things will unfold, with a mixture of fear, anger and resignation. many believe the government has let them down. i have had to flee from my hometown because the taliban captured it. they killed three of my broth

they had empowered the former governor of herat, his name is male hon. to create a local uprising movement who had worked with the special forces using it strikes also to keep the telephone out. but the taliban breaking through this evening. it is not the only place that the taliban claiming this evening. they have also claimed a province near that. in the west school bag geese was took to local journalist spear that said heavy fighting has been ongoing in that province. that they are a police and intelligence compounds have been captured, but there is some heavy fighting. and the governors compound there, so not entirely captured by the taliban. but certainly on the cost of going there is also heavy fighting in kandahar city. now that is incredibly important. because it is the 2nd biggest city in afghanistan, it is the birthplace of the telephone. they have been fighting incredibly hard to get and the government has seen a lot of the most elite special forces to keep the taliban us. it strikes have been ongoing there to, to try and push the taliban out

when it comes to herat, the government say extra reinforcements have now arrived in the city.ue there. but those reinforcements are making government forces sound a bit more optimistic there. i think the most concerning place remains lashkar gah at the moment. and i presume, as the fighting continues, people continue to flee? tens of thousands of ordinary afghans have had to flee their homes in recent weeks, caught in the middle of this awfulfighting. we heard new statistics out from the afghanistan independent human rights commission about civilian casualties — more than 1600 people killed injust the first six months of this year alone. and there are real concerns that the fighting is only going to get worse because the international military mission here formally comes to an end by september and many fear with the taliban looking emboldened and peace talks between the insurgents and the afghan government not making any real progress, the taliban are going to continue trying to push in on afghan cities. they have already captured around half of all territory in the country —

will form a herat guffman now and the taliban. so the taliban putting on a show if you will, of everybody working together they had is mel hom, record a video where you said, you know, brothers should work and piece together. so they really using this as, as a statement pace. they said that while they catch him that let him and these other leaders go home and that they are welcome to live a dignified life. so an interesting gesture, if you will, if i'm to speak to someone who has been one of the biggest photos. charlotte, thank you very much. all about us, their report in life from cobble. well the u. k says it could return to get this done. if al qaeda is allowed to flourish the again and threatened the west and re, simmons is a correspondence. so and clearly the london government anticipating a may be but a dangerous situation, weeks, months or a couple of years down the line. it would certainly appear so as certainly is no real sign of a special relationship, military or diplomatically with the united states. right now ben wall

this is the road to herat airport to 30 minute drive south of the city taliban fighters and government forces have been battling across the road. that is bridge. the more commercial flight stopped till wednesday is the front line moved towards the city. so how many kilometers from the city was that fixed or fixed? united nations regional compound is also on that road. on friday the un blamed the tele bonsa hitting its perimeter with grenades and gunfire. although the telephone said it was caught in the crossfire, the un secretary general called the attack deplorable. thought a month ago, the majority of her, our province was government control or contested. now the taliban is in control of much of the province. her aunt said he in its surrounding districts of the only thing that stopped the fight was controlling a 300 kilometers stretch of road east. from the iranian border. former governor and merger had in later ismael hon has rallied his supporters to protect the city and both the ask and military response. hundreds of his fighters are on the front lines yesterday the president call

thank you for joining us with this latest news, the taliban capturing kandahar following herat. can you talk about the significance of these latest events and what is happening overall in afghanistan? >> i think these two major cities falling into taliban hands and just a few hours is a significant, significant loss for the afghan government. the taliban is making a very bold move in their attempt for a military takeover. i think they're getting closer to kab. the humanitarian crisis is unfolding. there are thousands of afghans -- it is really alarming. the cloud of uncertainty over afghanistan's ability for what is going to happen in the past 24 hours is not there. i think the afghan people have never seen something like this in the past 20 years. and make of the significance of the u.s. now sending in 3000 more troops, sending back to where you are in kabul, they say to help evacuate embassy staff and then the canadians and britain's following suit? >> that is very clear that came here to evacuate their staff, there embassy people. i'm not sure that is helping with the situati

in herat, i spent a similar picture? in herat, i spent a few days — a similar picture? _ a similar picture? in herat, i spent a few days there, i _ a similar picture? in herat, i spent a few days there, i was _ a similar picture? in herat, i spent a few days there, i was on - a similar picture? in herat, i spent a few days there, i was on the - a similar picture? in herat, i spent| a few days there, i was on the front line with militia fighters and government troops. it was a particularly difficult regime. the city was being attacked from the north, around the periphery. you know, people were heading into the city... the situation is getting serious. what is interesting is that despite the fighting going on, sometimesjust a few despite the fighting going on, sometimes just a few kilometres away from the city centre, life was continuing as normal. people are going out together, sports games where continuing being played. the front line i went to was just six kilometres from the city centre. so the fighting has been near the homes of afghans. we the fighting has been near

in afghanistan — the taliban continue their advance, capturing herat — and poised to take kandahar. two cities are their biggest gains so far in their rapid sweep of the country. we hearfrom a kandahar resident. the prison is already broken. people are out, prisoners are out. they are outside already attacking the governor house. i don't know what else to expect from them. in other news: the heatwave continues across much of southern europe and north africa, fanning the flames of devastating wildfires. from heatwave to wildfires to this — flash flooding — the latest disaster to hit turkey, this time in the north of the country. here in the uk, a second year of teacher assessed results raises questions about regional differences — and girls move further ahead of boys. the taliban is continuing its astonishing sweep across afghanistan, with more dramatic developments just today. in the past two hours we've heard that they have captured afghanistan's third biggest city, herat, and appear poised to gain control of the second largest kandahar. if that's confirmed, this day will mark the

when it comes to herat, well, the government say extra reinforcements have now arrived in the city.sound a bit more optimistic there. i think the most concerning place remains lashkar gah at the moment. from today, developers will have more freedom to convert empty shops into housing without the need for planning permission. permitted development rights are being expanded for a range of vacant commercial buildings on high streets in england. the government says the move should help ease the housing crisis and breathe new life into town centres trying to recover from the pandemic. our business correspondent, emma simpson, reports. empty shops blighting our town centres. croydon south of london has its share of them. now it's going to be easier to turn units like these into housing on england's high streets. it's notjust shops — all sorts of vacant commercial buildings, from restaurants and gyms to banks. for the government, this is all about having a simpler, more flexible planning process, helping to create much—needed new homes and enabling struggling high streets to adapt. it's a

when it comes to herat, well, the government say extra reinforcements have now arrived in the city.forcements are making government forces sound a bit more optimistic there. i think the most concerning place remains lashkar gah at the moment. companies still running with reduced staff because of the pandemic, will have to pay 20% of workers' wages from today — as the government's furlough scheme continues to wind down. it'll stop completely at the end of september. our business correspondent, katy austin, reports. it's been credited with preventing unemployment rising sharply. now, we're in the final two months of thejob retention scheme. the economy has been reopening, but nearly two million people were still furloughed at the end ofjune. receptionist ruby, who is 65... hi, ruby. hiya. ..has been on full or part—time furlough since march last year. she's grateful for it, but the future is unclear. i think there's every possibility that come one october when the furlough scheme ends completely, then yes, i will possibly have to start looking for anotherjob. she can't afford to retir

they've entered parts of herat, lashkar gah, and kandahar, afghanistan's second biggest city.ght particularly in adrenaline alley, capital of helmand province. you will remember that yesterday the taliban had advanced to a one point we were told 300 metres from the governor's compound right in the centre of lashkar gah. —— particularly in lashkar gah, capital of helmand province. fighting has been continuing this morning and, as you say, clashes have also been taking place in recent days. elsewhere in the country too, notably around the cities of herat in the west and kandahar in the south. at kandahar airport three rockets were launched hitting the runway and leading to its closure today. when it comes to herat extra reinforcements have arrived in the city and taliban forces are not inside herat but they were fighting on the outskirts and clashes were continuing there but those reinforcements are making government forces sound a bit more optimistic there. i think the most concerning place remains lashkar gah at the moment. and i presume is this fighting continues people conti

that is what the fighters on the ground are telling the women of herat.i'm telling is the policy, the policy is that women can have access to education and to work and of course, they will observe the hijab, that is it. when you say, the hijab, do you mean a headscarf on the head or a burqa covering theirface? no, burqa is not the only hijab, there are many types. one of them you can change. before i go i want to update you on a couple of other stories we're following around the world. in haiti the civil protection service has had that the 724 people died in saturday's massive earthquake. the powerful 7.2 magnitude quake flattened homes, churches and schools. hospitals are overwhelmed, they need supplies and this disaster compounds the problems facing haiti which is already dealing with a political crisis following the assassination of its president last month. and a political crisis in thailand where anti—government demonstrators have staged a protest involving thousands of cars. they are demanding the resignation of the prime minister of the government'

when it comes to herat, well, the government say extra reinforcements have now arrived in the city.ar gah at the moment. large cruise ships have been banned from the centre of venice, after years of environmental protests. vessels of more than 25,000 tonnes will no longer be allowed to dock in the lagoon. campaigners and residents say the ships pollute the air and water — and cause erosion. mark lowen reports. it's been venice's david versus goliath. for years, protests by locals in their small boats against the mammoth cruise liners clogging its waterways. critics say they pollute, damage venice's ecosystem and erode foundations with their large waves. finally, victory. from today, any ship over 25,000 tonnes is now banned

charlie: charlotte: we can confirm that herat has fallen.idents, we talked to half a dozen people who say there were taliban and all the streets in the center of town. they had come into town, pushed through, they have been trying to get into the city for a month. crossed through the front line this afternoon and they broke into the prison, they got into the police compound, they got into the governor's compound. they released all the prisoners. residents telling us that they had prisoners, one man said my relatives were in the prison and now they are in my house, and they could hear gunfire. they see us driving through fire. it is celebratory gunfire coming from the taliban. they said from what they could see, security forces seem to give up without a fight. it is a huge price, as we said, for the taliban. the third biggest city in afghanistan. and a huge loss for the government. it is the biggest city in the west. and they had tried very hard to hold onto it. they have empowered the former governor of herat to create a local uprising movem

this man is said to be the head of herat�*s provincial council.ullets", he says. "take careful aim." and old warlords are back, too, to take on the taliban. white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s. "we're doing our best to suppress the enemy so they can't enter the city", he says. "i call on the people to support us, especially those who are armed, to resist the terrorists." but the taliban are at their strongest since their defeat nearly two decades ago, after the us—led invasion. it's a moment of reckoning for afghan forces. a moment of risk for the very future of afghanistan. lyse doucet reporting for us. to the olympics, and it's been another triumphant day for team gb in tokyo. there was gold for the gymnast max whitlock, successfully defending his olympic title on the pommel horse. charlotte worthington also took gold with a breathtaking performance in the women's bmx freestyle, while there was more success for swimmer duncan scott, who won a fourth medal in the pool. our sports corresponde

i had good work in herat city. i was so famous in herat city, but because of my life.d leave all of this... >> reporter: and what are you going to do? right now, what are you going to do? >> i don't know. >> reporter: a british commander went to talk to the taliban fighters, trying to ease the tension. but his troops were still forced to turn back those not on the list for evacuation. including the family of the pilot killed in action. nothing could ease the painful indignity of being pushed back behind the razor wire, back towards the taliban. >> woodruff: in an interview today with abc news' george stephanopoulos, the president again defended his decision to withdraw, and said that troops of americans and others out of the country by the end of this month, or as long as that takes. >> so americans should understand that troops might have to be there beyond august 31st? >> no, americans should understand that we're going to try to get it done before august 31st. >> but if we don't, the troops will stay? >> if we don't, we'll determine at the time who's left. >> and? >

and this morning moving to the west of afghanistan and herat. that is where the african military felt that they made some progress pushing the taliban back. but i can tell you that has been fresh fighting in herat in recent hours. the taliban seemed to be over night. we're told, pushing in for multiple directions towards the center of the city. let's bring in him sad that he's had of international relations at the department of cotton university. he joined us on skype from cobble for him, sat up welcome to the news on. why was the afghan military not ready for the taliban to do what is done and done, arguably very successfully. i think we've got a frozen line that to cobble may be a little bit of movement for him. can you hear me? it's peter toby here in the studio window. huh. yes, i can hear you. okay. we had a freeze on the line there will keep going as long as the line lasts, live television, these things happen. why is the taliban doing a better job of what it wants to do compared to the afghan military? well, i think of this is largely bec

people believe that he was the reason that the herat fell at the government for the fight. they believe he instructed them. i'm not saying it's true or not, but i think that the psychology underground you cannot have a person like that credibly negotiate on behalf of one cap. so it is vital for us to be able to preserve some sort of a compromise, some sort of a mix up the problem views and the abuse of their opponents. it will be an credible person negotiating on behalf of the college one camp president. that is not that person, and i think the time is not on the prism county or the government side. the taliban . the government leverage is shrinking. the as you reported, there are heavy fighting and happening in missouri. if, if missouri falls, it with the info. cling of cobble, get to the point that as, as was said, it now cobbled becomes a battleground of different facts and fighting, not even taller. but there are many a bad after the after you start fighting. cobble if that become the case, the government loses all liberal anti taliban camp. this is all liberty to make

government troops say they've pushed the militants back in the city of herat. the belarus sprinter at the centre of an olympic row with her own government speaks out after arriving safely in poland. my grandmother, she called me and she said to me, "please don't come back to belarus." and that was the reason why i go to the police. also in the programme, the uk government defends changes to the rules on foreign travel as thousands of british tourists scramble to get home from mexico by sunday morning. the government has defended its decision to add the country to the government read list causing some difficulty to some who are there. i can't afford another £3000, and also with my work, i can't afford to take any extra time off. and i can't work in the quarantine hotel, so we had to get back. we start with the escalating fighting in afghanistan. for months now, the taliban have been gaining ground in rural and underpopulated areas. now there's fierce conflict in several provincial capitals, the afghan army fighting back in crowded neighbourhoods, and all this pu

press and current writer for foregin policy magazine, who's just returned to kabul from the city of heratthe iranian border. i asked her about the situation on the ground. herat is probably the third biggest city in afghanistan and it is the capital of the province which borders iran. it is a very important, wealthy province. a lot of trade grew through the border with iran. the caliban are inside the city and have been for quite some time. there is fighting on the edges. i spent time with military forces were fighting alongside what has been called up a that is citizens who are being armed and in the case of herat being led by a warlord called ishmail can. the afghan security forces had been badly let down by their leadership and by the government. they are struggling for logistical resupply and other support and so is the caliban�*s assault and advance across the country has really frightened afghan people, citizens have been taking up arms, joining these malicious and fighting on the front line. that is what a*. i also saw city that is incredibly dense, there are a lot of people who ar

he's now been allowed to fly from herat to cobble. and we believe he's carrying a message from the taliban. that message is directed to some of the leaders of what were known as the northern lines. and it appears that about trying to break them away from the rest of the government in cobble to try and form a transitional government. while the united nations is also calling for an immediate end to wave of violence in serious south west and city of iran, thousands of civilians that have fled fighting between government troops and rebel forces. even special envoy says there is a shortage of food, fuel, water and medicines. the city was put on the blockade by the government back in june, off to residence, refused to surrender. weapons allow, forces to such houses and on the people who have died in algeria as wildfires has wisdom to 71 more than 55 still burning across 16 provinces. the government says many was started deliberately. 22 people suspected of austin on now on the rest in greece, the wildfires and now largely contained but many

but i can tell you that has been fresh fighting in herat in recent hours. the taliban seemed to be over night. we're told, pushing in for multiple directions towards the center of the city. the african forces tried to repel them, were told that they were as strikes, so also mortars being used in the city of harass. we also hear from government sources and local journalists as well. one police commander was killed in the battles will be going on in the herat. thank you. jane. base for like updates across afghanistan returned to the limpid games, briefly karen to making it so and pick you in took here 8 gold medals up for grabs . and the host nation is set to dominate the events, but back as of the sport are concerned that it may not return at future games at richardson has not report karate means empty hands in japanese. it began hundreds of years ago. as a form of self defense in a region where weapons were banned. after a decades long campaigned fritz inclusion, the japanese martial arts is making the 1st olympic appearance in tokyo. i believe there's a lo

this man is said to be the head of herat�*s provincial council.ake careful aim." and old warlords are back, too, to take on the taliban. white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s. "we're doing our best to suppress the enemy so they can't enter the city", he says. "i call on the people to support us, especially those who are armed, to resist the terrorists." but the taliban are at their strongest since their defeat nearly two decades ago, after the us—led invasion. it's a moment of reckoning for afghan forces. a moment of risk for the very future of afghanistan. much more about this on our website, including this map, created by our visual journalism team, showing who is in control of which parts of afghanistan. just log to bbc.com/news — or download the bbc app. let's get some of the day's other news. the us senate has reconvened to start moving towards a vote on a trillion—dollar infrastructure bill — which it's hoped both republicans and democrats will support. the measure could be voted on this

herat, fiercely contested between the two sides but the afghan government was not able to hold onto itat defeat in kandahar, the second largest city in this country, lashkar gah the capital of the helmand province falling as well. and there are real worries among citizens here about what is next. what is the future of their capital, kabul? i see messages and social media from afghans talking about the last moments of freedom. but i think what happens here in the coming days will depend heavily on how the afghan government reacts to what's happened in this one day. so far, we have heard nothing from the top brass of the government, nothing from the president, nothing from the vice president or any of the big ministers. how they respond tomorrow to this situation will determine, you know, what happens next in the capital, kabul. the first british and american troops are set to arrive in kabul this weekend. ramzan karmali has this assessment of the task ahead. another day of taliban advances sawthe militants move into the third largest city. and another city less than 100 kilometres from

there are no women in herat.ment offices are not going to work. artillery. although nearly all of its military forces have left, the us has continued its air offensive in support of afghan government troops. strikes targeting lashkar gah continued late on monday. the biden administration condemned the actions of the taliban. we've seen the reports of atrocities being committed by the taliban in various places where they are on the offensive. and these reports are deeply disturbing and totally unacceptable. helmand was the centrepiece of the us and british military campaign, but if lashkar gah were to fall, it would be the first provincial capital won by the taliban in five years and would be a bitter blow to the afghan government. ramzan karmali, bbc news. well, earlier i spoke to michael kugelman, who's deputy director of the asia program and senior associate for south asia at the wilson center, i asked whether he felt the afghan forces were strong enough to repel the taliban attack. unfortunately it will be ver

and then herat the 3rd biggest city and the last few days via the cities been in circled. the airport is about 30 minutes south of the city the road to get there. they've been fighting over that flight has been cancelled. reinforcements have just arrived from the government from the, from kabul to reinforce the local uprising movement, if you will, by my name is mel han, he's a former governor and he has kind of rallied his support, his and st. hundreds of them to the front line. try to keep the telephone out of the city. so a heap of pressure coming in 3 major city, major cities in afghanistan. we understand that this is kind of the taliban strategy, if you will look and circling the cities because the picked up a huge amount of room territory and the last month now they're putting these cities under a heap of pressure and then they can take that leverage back to the negotiating table, and some of the pressure not only from fighting, so from severe fluffing around parts of the country, what's been the response? they're particularly bad in a problem called numerous, which

this man is said to be the head of herat�*s provincial council. bullets", he says. "take careful aim." and old warlords are back, too, to take on the taliban. white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s. "we're doing our best to suppress the enemy so they can't enter the city", he says. "i call on the people to support us, especially those who are armed, to resist the terrorists." but the taliban are at their strongest since their defeat nearly two decades ago, after the us—led invasion. it's a moment of reckoning for afghan forces. a moment of risk for the very future of afghanistan. that was the bbc�*s lyse doucet. i'm joined now by omar samad, former afghan ambassador to france and canada, and currently a visiting senior fellow at the atlantic council. great to have you on the programme. devastating scenes in that report. what is the taliban strategy right now? are they trying to take key cities or focusing on now? are they trying to take key cities orfocusing on rural areas? very good question. n

sir, all lives tonight on the 2nd and 3rd biggest cities of afghanistan, herat. if it is proven to be true that the telephone do have full control of that city now also in canada and i should add all flights of food in and out of kandahar some follow up. i guess the, the amount of fighting in and around that city to see whether or not the government can hold off the telephone in that city tonight. and then also in the province of helmand and muska ga, the provincial capital, big, heavy fighting, the telephone banking more claims about games and that city also. so the government, looking at 3 prong situation as they hit into the evening, shall a bell a lie for us in kabul. let's get reaction from the united states. now defense officials reported to be increasingly concerned by the total bonds advances. she have a chance, his life was in washington, so she have the bite administration has been sticking to this line that this will role will happen as she had you. but they've got to be worried about what they're seeing enough canister. not just the, the taliban advan

this man is said to be the head of herat�*s provincial council.ur bullets", he says. "take careful aim." and old warlords are back too, to take on the taliban. white bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s. "we're doing our best to suppress the enemy, so they can't enter the city", he says. "i call on the people to support us, especially those who are armed, to resist the terrorists." but the taliban are at their strongest since their defeat nearly two decades ago, after the us—led invasion. it's a moment of reckoning for afghan forces. a moment of risk for the very future of afghanistan. lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. professor michael semple is an expert on afghanistan from queen's university belfast. he gave me his analysis. the taliban certainly believe that they can topple the government relatively quickly and take over the whole country. my assessment disagrees with that. i think that they will succeed in precipitating another round of civil war, but they will fail in their effort to take over the

there are no women in herat.tuation and women who usually work in government offices are not going to work. artillery. although nearly all of its military forces have left, the us has continued its air offensive in support of afghan government troops. strikes targeting lashkar gah continued late on monday. the biden administration condemned the actions of the taliban. we've seen the reports of atrocities being committed by the taliban in various places where they are on the offensive. and these reports are deeply disturbing and totally unacceptable. helmand was the centrepiece of the us and british military campaign, but if lashkar gah were to fall, it would be the first provincial capital won by the taliban in five years and would be a bitter blow to the afghan government. ramzan karmali, bbc news. concern has been expressed for the survival of chimpanzees in sierra leone. the population of the animal has been disappearing fast on the african continent, largely due to deforestation and other human activity. sier

this man is said to be the head of herat�*s provincial council.ack too, to take on the taliban. white bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s. "we're doing our best to suppress the enemy, "so they can't enter the city", he says. "i call on the people to support us, especially those who are armed, "to resist the terrorists." but the taliban are at their strongest since their defeat nearly two decades ago, after the us—led invasion. it's a moment of reckoning for afghan forces. a moment of risk for the very future of afghanistan. lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, has formally apologised for police raids which disproportionately targeted pacific communities in the 1970s. hundreds of people attended a special ceremony at the town hall in the city of auckland to hear this significant statement. the so—called "dawn raids" were carried out to find, convict and deport people from the pacific islands suspected of overstaying their visas — but never those from the uk or