As the Taliban continues to take territory and US President Joe Biden tells Afghanistan to “fight for themselves,” President Ashraf Ghani is trying to mount a defence. Yesterday, he replaced army chief General Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, who was appointed in June, before flying to the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to rally pro-government forces. And despite Biden’s words earlier this week, the US is leading talks with the Taliban and representatives from Russia, China, Europe and the United Nations in Qatar. They’re hoping to put pressure on the militants by threatening to make their lives difficult on the international stage. The UN says more than 1,000 Afghan civilians have been killed in the past month, with the Taliban now controlling more than 65% of Afghanistan and 11 of the country’s 34 provincial capitals. Overnight, the militants took control of the cities of Herat and Ghazni – just 150km from the capital Kabul. Reports say US intelligence believes Kabul could fall within 3 months. #SquizShortcuts