Afghan commander Ismail Khan captured as Taliban seize Herat


FILE PHOTO: Ismail Khan, the militia commander and former governor of Herat, greets visitors at his Herat residence, September 29, 2004. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood AM/PB/File Photo

KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban insurgents have seized most of Herat, Afghanistan's third largest city, and also captured Ismail Khan, the veteran local commander leading militia resistance there, local officials said on Friday.

The fall of Herat, the latest in a series of major provincial cities to be taken by the Taliban in the past few days, has dealt a shocking blow to the government of President Ashraf Ghani only weeks after the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

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