Taliban seize Jalalabad, cut off Afghan capital from east

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan lawmaker and the Taliban say the militants have seized Jalalabad, cutting off Kabul to the east.

The militants posted photos online early Sunday showing them in the governor's office in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province.

Abrarullah Murad, a lawmaker from the province told The Associated Press that the insurgents seized Jalalabad after elders negotiated the fall of the government there.

The seizure Sunday comes amid rapid gains by the Taliban over the last week, pressuring Afghanistan's central government as U.S., British and Canadian forces rush troops in to help their diplomatic staffs still there. Thousands have poured into Kabul to flee the Taliban advance.