Afghan president: 'Consultations' ongoing amid Taliban blitz
Kabul(AP): Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he will not give up the achievements of the last 20 years and that consultations are underway.
He delivered a brief and vague televised address on Saturday, his first public appearance in days following a major Taliban advance.
The insurgents have seized most of northern, western and southern Afghanistan and are battling government forces some 11 kilometers (7 miles) south of Kabul.
The United States is set to withdraw its last forces by Aug. 31, raising questions about the survival of Ghani's Western-backed government.
The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks nearly 20 years ago.
The Taliban seized a province just south of Afghanistan's capital and launched a multi-pronged assault early Saturday on a major city in the north defended by powerful former warlords, Afghan officials said.
The insurgents have captured much of northern, western and southern Afghanistan in a breakneck offensive less than three weeks before the United States is set to withdraw its last troops, raising fears of a full militant takeover or another Afghan civil war.
The Taliban captured all of Logar and detained its provincial officials, Hoda Ahmadi, a lawmaker from the province, said Saturday. She said the Taliban have reached the Char Asyab district, just 11 kilometers (7 miles) south of the capital, Kabul.
The Taliban also attacked the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif from several directions, setting off heavy fighting on its outskirts, according to Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor. There was no immediate word on casualties.
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2nd bomb threat in 36 hours triggers security sweep at Kanpur Railway Station; no explosives found
Kanpur (PTI): A bomb threat for the second time within 36 hours triggered a massive security operation at Kanpur Central Railway Station on Friday evening, though extensive searches later found no suspicious object, police said.
An emergency call was received at the 112 control room around 7 pm, warning that the railway station would be blown up, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Satyajeet Gupta.
The alert prompted an immediate high-security response, with senior police and administrative officials, heavy police force, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), anti-sabotage check teams, and dog squads rushing to the station, he added.
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Police and security teams conducted intensive checks across all platforms, circulating areas, waiting halls, parcel offices, and parking zones to rule out any threat.
All suspicious items were examined, and passenger movement was closely monitored during the operation. No explosive material or objectionable object was found, the official said.
This was the second bomb scare at the station in less than 36 hours. A similar threat call had been made on Thursday at around 8.30 am, leading to a full-scale security check.
During the investigation into Friday's call, police traced the phone number to a man identified as Anil. During questioning, he told officers that his mobile phone had been missing since February 24, raising suspicion that the threat may have been issued using the lost device, Gupta told mediapersons.
Police are analysing call detail records and scanning CCTV camera footage to identify the actual caller, he said.
