UPDATE - Taliban sweeps through north, surrounds Afghan capital

UPDATES WITH MORE CITIES OVERRUN BY TALIBAN, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, INTRO, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Afghanistan's northern gateway to Central Asia, Mazar-e-Sharif city, fell to the advancing Taliban late on Saturday, multiple sources confirmed.

Local officials told Anadolu Agency that at least seven provincial capitals, Mazar-e-Sharif of Balkh, Maymana of Faryab, Sharana of Paktika, Asadabad of Kunar, Mehtarlam of Laghman, Nili of Daykundi and Gardez of Paktia crumbled on Saturday.

Fall of Mazar-e-Sharif stands out in terms of its strategic importance in the heart of northern provinces, regional headquarters of the army and main bastion of key politicians such as Abdul Rasheed Dostum, Atta Muhammad Noor and Muhammad Muhaqiq.

Abbas Ibrahim, a lawmaker from the Balkh province, told Anadolu Agency that the Taliban captured all government offices, including the governor's office.

According to the local Salam Afghanistan radio, after failed bid to guard the city, Noor, Dostum and others escaped to Uzbekistan.

Earlier in the day, the Taliban marched on Maidan city, less than 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the country's heavily guarded capital Kabul.

Blitzing through much of the restive south and almost all of the northern provinces, the Taliban have now begun to tighten control around the capital city by capturing eastern Mehtarlam and southern Pul-e-Alam cities.

"The 'Mujahideen' (Taliban) took complete control of Sharana, the capital of Paktika province. The governor's office, police headquarters, intelligence (headquarters) and all places were 'conquered'," Zabihullah Mujahid, the group spokesman, said.

Visuals shared by the pro-Taliban account showed hundreds of the group's armed fighters in command of the main highway in Maidan Wardak province connecting Kabul with the rest of the country's southern and western provinces.

Meanwhile, the country's Defense Ministry claimed to have pushed back a major assault on the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. In air and ground offensives, the ministry said 265 insurgents were killed in the past 24 hours.

Making rapid gains over the past few days, the Taliban have now taken control of 24 of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals.

The other cities overrun by the Taliban included Qalat, Tarinkot, Pul-e-Alam, Kandahar, Lashkargah, Herat, Feroz Koh, Qala-e-Nau, Ghazni, Fayzabad, Aybak, Zaranj, Sheberghan, Kunduz, Pul-e-Khumri, Taluqan, and Sar-e-Pul.

Meanwhile, in a short televised speech, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Saturday vowed to continue defending his government. "The country is in serious danger of instability," said the president.