US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani about the "urgency of ongoing diplomatic and political efforts to reduce the violence," according to a statement released by the Department of State.

The State Department also said in its statement that Blinken emphasized "the US commitment to a strong diplomatic and security relationship with the government of Afghanistan."

US President Joe Biden announced that the US has "conveyed to the Taliban representatives in Doha, via our Combatant Commander, that any action on their part on the ground in Afghanistan that puts U.S. personnel or our mission at risk there will be met with a swift and strong U.S. military response."

The "Taliban" announced on Sunday morning their control over the city of Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan, entering it unopposed, thereby securing the roads that tie the country to Pakistan.  

"There are no clashes taking place right now in Jalalabad because the governor has surrendered to the Taliban," said a Jalalabad official, adding that "allowing passage to the Taliban was the only way to save civilian lives."

The "Taliban" continues its advance in Afghanistan, controlling new provincial capitals. The Movement lately seized control of Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, with some reports claiming that the Movement was now in control of 90% of the country.

The former governor of Balkh Province, north of Afghanistan, and leader of the Province's militias said that the city of Mazar-i-Sharif fell to "Taliban" fighters due to a "conspiracy."

Dear and esteemed countrymen!

Unfortunately, the depth of the conspiracy, as a result of which Balkh collapsed, is very deep. The conspiracy is now facing #Kabul and it’s leaders.

— Ata Mohammad Noor (@Atamohammadnoor) August 14, 2021

Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted yesterday that the Movement has tightened its grip over the city of Tirin Kut, the center of Uruzgan province, confirming that the governor of the state and the local police chief have surrendered to the militants. 

#عاجل:
در جریان عملیات الفتح شهر شرنه مرکز ولایت پکتیکا نیز فتح گردید.
لحظاتی قبل در این شهر مقام ولایت، قومندانی امنیه، مرکز استخبارات و تمام ملحقات آن تحت کنترول مجاهدین درامدند.
عساکر اداره کابل با مجاهدین یکجا شدند، تمام اسلحه، وسائط و تجهیزات به دست مجاهدین افتاد.

— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) August 14, 2021

The US Airforce announced on Saturday that they were sending military aircraft to Afghanistan to evacuate "thousands" of US civilians before Kabul "falls to the Taliban" and salvage US equipment, which they are worried would "fall into an adversary's hands."

The Pentagon announced that it was "deeply concerned" of the collapse of Afghan forces, especially as the "Taliban" draws closer to Kabul.

US embassy staff in Kabul "has been told to start destroying sensitive material, underscoring that the Biden administration is preparing for the possibility that the embassy will be overrun by the Taliban," according to Bloomberg.