in the western city of herat, security forces helped by local warlords — such as this man, ismail khanave thrown everything into repelling an offensive on the city. journalist charlie faulkner has recently been in herat. here's her account of what she saw there. i was on a front line there with ismail khan and the local fighters who are fighting, sort of answering to him, alongside the government troops. i mean, we could see that, you know, they are really sort of coming together and uniting in their attempts at trying to push back the taliban. you know, things have become very, very severe in herat, same as in kandahar and lashkar gah. the afghan army is also supported by the few remaining us troops in the country, ahead of the final withdrawal planned for later this month. the bbc�*s abdullah bakhtiar in kabul explains how important the americans still are in the fight against the taliban. yeah, so, the us support- for the afghan forces is very vital. as you know, the us forces have recently bombed some taliban . positions in lashkar gah city, i which have apparently inflicted casual

ismail khan. to keep americans safe. he put his life on the line as a translator, an interpreter. they call 'em terps. helping the u.s. army. for weeks, now he's in the united states and he has been consumed with trying to help his own family that he had to separate into different areas. and hundreds of others to do what he did. escape afghanistan. live the freedom that was promised them. trump added red tape to vetting from muslim countries as you will he remember. it was his end run around his muslim ban, not being able to outright ban people of an entire faith. now, that made it harder for america to keep her promise to those who worked with the u.s. the state department then said it was ramping up efforts to process visas for afghan allies. but still, folks like ismail have run into bureaucratic roadblock after roadblock. so ismail decided to do one of the most dangerous things i can imagine. as someone who he knows the taliban will catch and do bad things to, he has decided to go back. ismail

the west where they seized the historic city of herat and its famed military commander mohammad ismail khan. in this taliban propaganda video, khan, who fought the taliban in 2001, says he hopes the militants will bring peace, security, and stability. the lightning-fast taliban takeover has shocked the world. the militant group took its first provincial capital one week ago today now their territory looks like this, closing in on kabul. the pentagon now scrambling to send 3,000 troops to the kabul airport, most arriving by the end of this weekend, a temporary mission to get embassy staff out safely >> the deteriorating conditions are a factor, a big factor in why the president has approved this mission. >> reporter: as the u.s. embassy is ordering staff to destroy sensitive documents and computers, according to a memo obtained by npr. panicked afghans are rushing to the capital with aid agencies warning of a humanitarian crisis. >> this is my house. >> reporter: this man's house was bombed >> it's completely destroyed. >> completely destroyed. no future. >> reporter: these men all worked fo

ismail khan. home in seattle, to go to the most dangerous place for him in the world. and he is fully aware of what's waiting for him. >> i know it's dangerous. i know it's dangerous for me, for my family, for everyone that i know. but i have to do it. i don't have any option. this morning when i was leaving, my 8-year-old son was crying. he know how bad the situation is. but i can't. there are thousands of kids they are out there. they needed someone's support. i am going to go there. i'm not sure that if i'm going to make it back or not. but i owe them a lot and i'll do whatever it takes. >> how can our military and our government not match the gumption of this man? willing to do whatever it takes. we'll keep you updated. god willing, he's safe, he gets somewhere safe and he can communicate with us. all right. i also want to talk to you about what's happening back here at home. does it have any connection to what's happening abroad? the scare near the u.s. capitol today. police arrested this guy

in the weeks leading up to the fall, flcialg pro-government leader, ismail khan has led the battle againsttaliban.ib now he has been captured by the insurgent group.p. helmund province is also under taliban control. 15 provinces falling in seven days have raised questions abouu the future of thewn capital, kabul. what's happened here in just the span of a week has taken people here, the government, and itss international partners b surprise. those who have the means are trying to get out of this country. flights from kabul are completely booked.o but for a majority of the population, they're waiting to see how things will unfold with a mixture of fear, anger, and resignation. many believe the government has let themu÷#nd■ down.. "i've had to flee from my home town because the taliba captured it.. they killed three of my brothers. afghan forces are not fighting.t they're just handing over control," this man says. the fighting is less than an hour from kabul now, in the neighboring logar province.nc many of the war wounded from there have been coming to this kabul hospital. 14-year-oldmmet m

in the weeks leading up to the fall, influential pro—government leader ismail khan had led the battleiban. now he's 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's happened here injust the span ofjust a week has taken people here, the government and its international partners by surprise. those who have the means are trying to get out of this country, flights from kabul are completely booked. but for a majority of the population, they're 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 brothers." "afg han forces are not fighting, they are just handing over control," this man said. the fighting is less than an hourfrom kabul now, in the neighbouring logar province. many of the war wounded from there have

white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s.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 correspondent natalie pirks has all the very latest from tokyo. a warning — her report contains flashing images. commentator: charlotte worthington is in the mix here today. they say "go big or go home". charlotte worthingt

— that is citizens who are being armed and, in the case of herat, being led by a warlord called ismail khanre very 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 for logistical resupply and other support and so as the taliban's assault and advance across the country has really frightened afghan people, citizens have been taking up arms, joining these militias and fighting on the front line. that is what i saw. i also saw a city that is incredibly tense. there are a lot of people who are leaving. extra flights were put on yesterday when i came back to kabul. the road to the airport from the city is intermittently taken over by the taliban and then again by the security forces, so flights either go or don't go, some days they are cancelled. yesterday there were more flights, people bringing everything possibly can with them, including extended family, to kabul to get away from what they fear will be a serious assault on the city. we can cross to mike bushell in the bbc sports

white bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s.st 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 country. and in terms of how that is going to affect, not only the neighbouring countries, but also the eu, we have seen, of course, 20 years ago afghan refugees come to europe. are we looking at that situati

white bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s.s. "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 the us or south africa. from today, businesses are having to pay more of their workers' wages, as the government continues to wind down it's furlough scheme. but there are fears the increased costs could see s

white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s.esist 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 visualjournalism team, showing who is in control of which parts of afghanistan. just log to bbc.com/news or download the bbc app. just log on to bbc.com/news or download the bbc app. if you want to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter. i'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... australia is deploying unarmed troops to ensure its covid lockdown in sydney is being observed. we'll have the latest. the question was whether we wanted to save our people — and japanese as well — and win the war, or whether we wanted to take a chance on being able to win the war by killing all our young men. the invasion began at two o'cloc

white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s.o 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. nobody really knows. untila very good question. nobody really knows. until a few days ago, taliban strategy was to capture as much territory as possible or handed over to them fleeing afghan government forces or m

white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s.an'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. the american rapper dababy has been dropped from one of america's biggest annual music festivals, lollapalooza, over comments he made about people with hiv and aids. dababy has apologised, firstly for his conduct at a concert in miami last month, when he was accused of spreading misinformation about aids, and then for his initial apology for those remarks, which was seen as homophobic. the annual lollapalooza festival says it was founded on the principles

white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s.o 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 week — but there are still sticking points on how it will be funded. many republicans are opposed to tax increases on big corporations and wealthy individuals. the video—conferencing firm zoom has agreed to pay $

white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s.ays. "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. lease to set reporting from afghanistan. —— —— lyse doucet. 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. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: it's not science fiction, but a convertible flying car. we take a look at a prototype that's been decades in the making. the question was whether we wanted to save our people — and the japanese as well — and win the war, or whether we wanted to take a chance on being able to win the war by killing all our young men. the invasion began at two o'clock this morning. mr bush, like most ot

in the weeks leading up to the fall, influential pro—government leader ismail khan had led the battlence, 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's happened here injust the span ofjust a week has taken people here, 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're 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 brothers." "afghan forces are not fighting, they are just handing over control," this man said. the fighting is less than an hourfrom kabul now, in the neighbouring logar province. many of the war wounded from there have been coming to this kabul hospital. this 14—year—old boy was i

white—bearded commander ismail khan fought soviet forces in the �*80s, taliban in the �*90s.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 have a look at some other stories in the headlines today. zoom hazard read to pay $86 million to settle a class—action privacy lawsuit in the united states. the lawsuit alleged that they had invaded the privacy of millions of users by sharing personal data with facebook, google and linkedin. the firm denied any wrongdoing but has agreed to boost its security practices. polls are closing in a referendum in mexico on possible investigations into the country's former president. the president put the measures forward as part of his anticorruption drive but anticorru ption drive but critics anticor

and, you know, you have been in contact with ismail khan who we have had on the show and is in seattlewith people to help. they have been filing papers, working with the u.s. senator. but there -- you know, there is no, real system for this. it's all being done kind of in the moment. but, you know, my promise to you remains. you know, we have been in contact over the last few days to try to find ways to get your story out. and to help you tell your story about what's happening, and our commitment to that will continue, all the way through. if there's any moment where getting attention to what you are trying to do and who you are trying to work with is helpful, just let us know. and we will try to knock on any doors that we can for you. you just have to help us with the direction. >> chris, i also want to mention i have my daughter. she is recently diagnosed with brain cancer. she is working, around the clock, with me in states contacting different pocs, different colonels. and i am very proud of colonel hooper, who is supporting me. major marissa who is supporting me here with all thos

and another video today showed the taliban had captured veteran warlord mohammad ismail khan-- he's then the right-- who'd been leading a militia resistance to the taliban in herat, but now seemingly forced to call for peace and stability. these advances by the taliban have forced the u.s. to scramble to protect american and afghan personnel who remain in kabul. the biden administration yesterday announced the immediate deployment of 3,000 u.s. troops to help with the evacuation process. officials say the u.s. embassy will continue to operate, but with limited staff. pentagon spokesperson john kirby spoke today. >> they have the benefit of the training that we have provided them over 20 years. they have the material, the physical, the tangible advantages. it's time now to use those advantages. >> brangham: the blistering taliban gains have reportedly taken some u.s. officials by surprise. but many this week, including president biden, have kept the focus on the afghan government's need to defend itself. >> they've got to fight for themselves. fight for their nation. i think they're begi