The Taliban could isolate Afghanistan’s capital Kabul in 30 days and potentially take it over in 90 days, a US defence official told Reuters on Wednesday, citing a US intelligence assessment. Taliban fighters have taken control of eight provincial capitals in six days, a pace that has surprised US officials. Taliban forces now control 65 per cent of Afghanistan and have taken or threaten to take 11 provincial capitals, a senior EU official said on Tuesday. The US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the new assessment followed the rapid gains the Taliban had been making around Afghanistan. “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 against the insurgent group. The US has essentially pulled all troops out of Afghanistan, except those staying to protect the US embassy and airport in Kabul, with the military mission set to end on August 31. The United States has said that any government that comes to power in Afghanistan ‘at the barrel of a gun’ would lack international support and legitimacy. The remarks came from US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price during a press briefing held on August 10. Price added that it was in fact, the consensus that had emerged and had been stated any number of times. Price quoted the UN Security Council’s last week’s statement that “the members of the Security Council recall[ed] Resolution 2513, reaffirm[ed] that there is no military solution to the conflict, and declare[d] that they do not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate”. The spokesperson further added that US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, was in Doha, Qatar to advance a collective international response to what can only be termed as a rapidly deteriorating security situation. “He will press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement. We, again, know that is the only path to stability, to development in Afghanistan,” Price said adding that the ambassador was there to seek to advance and seek to support. The Taliban have swiftly gained territory across Afghanistan since May, including eight provincial capitals in the last six days, as international forces near a complete withdrawal from the country after 20 years of fighting. Price further said that the US knew the opposite was true. “If this violence continues, if the Taliban continues down this path, we were likely to see a prolonged, protracted period of violence, of instability”, he said adding that continued aggression was a matter of grave concern to the US government. “And that is not in anyone’s interest – certainly not in the interests of the people of Afghanistan and not in the interests of what the Taliban seek,” the spokesperson stated. “What we are doing around the clock is seeking to find a way out of this we are focused on the diplomacy that can eventually see a just and durable solution to this conflict.”