After fighting the United States to a standstill over 20 years of war, the Taliban has toppled the Afghan government in a matter of days. The speed of the offensive that culminated in the fall of Kabul without a shot being fired last Sunday has stunned the world and even surprised Taliban leaders themselves.
Beginning with a swift advance through rural districts as the US prepared to leave Afghanistan, Taliban overran the entire country in just six weeks, seizing every major city as government forces capitulated. The Times traces the final, extraordinary phase of the onslaught.
After a lightning advance through rural districts over the previous month, the Taliban scored its first major victory, seizing the town of Shir Khan Bandar, on the northern
