U.S. says it is up to Afghans to defend country as Taliban take more territory

Tanks arrive at battlefield, in Kunduz, Afghanistan July 7, 2021 in this still image taken from a video. REUTERS TV via REUTERS

KABUL (Reuters) -The United States said it was up to Afghan security forces to defend the country after Taliban militants captured a sixth provincial capital on Monday, along with border towns and trade routes.

President Joe Biden has said the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan will end on Aug. 31, arguing that the Afghan people must decide their own future and that he would not consign another generation of Americans to the 20-year war.