From New York Times, I'm Michael Obaro. This is Italy.

Today, as the United States completes its military withdrawal from Afghanistan,

the Taliban is seizing control of city after city across the country.

Sabrina Tevernici spoke with our colleague, Carlotta Gaul, about the Taliban's strategy

and why it's succeeding so quickly.

It's Tuesday, August 10.

So, Carlotta, tell me what happened in Afghanistan over the weekend?

Well, after months of fighting, suddenly the Taliban have made a huge breakthrough this weekend

with taking several big cities and suddenly toppling a lot of the north.

I think it's very serious and it's a very big move to take control of the country.

So, Carlotta, what were those provincial capitals?

Walk us through exactly how the weekend played out.

So, a lot of provincial capitals have been under siege or under attack

and there's been a bit of ebb and flow, but on Friday, the Taliban took their first provincial capital.

We have two eyewitnesses confirming that the city of Zaraanj in southwestern Afghanistan

has fallen to the Taliban.

And it's a small place that not many people may be know of called Zaraanj

on the southwestern border with Iran.

I tell you the government say that they are on the outskirts though of Zaraanj

and battles continue, but in the south.

And then very swiftly in completely different part of the country in the north,

the Taliban now claiming a second provincial capital, Shabaghan, is in their hands.

...