U.S. Intel Warns: Afghanistan Could Fall To Taliban In 90 Days

Taliban fighters could isolate Afghanistan's capital in 30 days and possibly take it over within 90, a US defense official cited intelligence as saying, Jonathan Landay, Idrees Ali, Jeff Mason, Trevor Hunnicutt, and Michelle Nichols reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Kabul cityscape

The official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, said the new assessment of how long Kabul could stand was a result of the Taliban's rapid gains as US-led foreign forces leave.

"But this is not a foregone conclusion," the official added, saying that the Afghan security forces could reverse the momentum by putting up more resistance.

The Islamists now control 65% of Afghanistan and have taken or threaten to take 11 provincial capitals, a senior EU official said on Tuesday. Faizabad, in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, on Wednesday became the eighth provincial capital to be seized by the Taliban.

Fighting was extremely intense in Kandahar city, a doctor based in southern Kandahar province said. The city received scores of bodies of Afghan forces and some injured Taliban.

All gateways to Kabul, which lies in a valley surrounded by mountains, were choked with civilians fleeing violence, a Western security source said. It was hard to tell whether Taliban fighters were also getting through, the source said.

"The fear is of suicide bombers entering the diplomatic quarters to scare, attack, and ensure everyone leaves at the earliest opportunity," he said. The speed of the Taliban advance has shocked the government and its allies.

The group, which controlled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when it was ousted for harboring al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden after Sept. 11, wants to defeat the US-backed government and reimpose strict Islamic law.

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