Afghanistan

The first of three German evacuation planes diverted to the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, because it could not land in Kabul, which lies in a valley surrounded by mountains. A second plane was circling over the city.

Crowds converged on the airport seeking to escape, including some clinging to a US military transport plane as it taxied on the runway, according to footage posted by private Afghan broadcaster Tolo news.

US troops fired in the air to deter people trying to force their way on to a military flight evacuating US diplomats and embassy staff, a US official said.

An interior ministry official confirmed the Taliban had entered Kabul and told Reuters they were coming in "from all sides" but gave no further details.

A tweet from the Afghan Presidential palace account said firing had been heard at a number of points around Kabul but that security forces, in coordination with international partners, had control of the city.

The UN children's agency Unicef said it was shocked by the "rapid escalation of grave violations against children".

The Taliban have been making major advances across the country as foreign troops withdraw, taking six regional capitals since Friday.

They have rejected international calls for a ceasefire.

More than 1,000 civilians have been killed as a result of the conflict in the past month.

In a statement on Monday, Unicef said the atrocities being committed against children were growing "higher by the day".

They seized control of the key northern city of Kunduz on Sunday, as well as Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan.

It means five regional capitals have fallen to the militants since Friday, with Kunduz being their most important gain this year.

The city is well connected to other areas, including the capital Kabul.

Violence has escalated across Afghanistan after US and other international forces began to withdraw their troops from the country, following 20 years of military operations.

The resident of Lashkar Gah in southern Afghanistan is one of thousands trapped or fleeing for their lives as fighting for control of the city rages between militants and government forces.

The BBC is not naming some interviewees in this article for security reasons.

"There are corpses on the roads. We do not know if they are civilians or the Taliban," the man told the BBC Afghan service in an interview on Whatsapp. "Dozens of families have fled their homes and settled near the Helmand river."

Taliban fighters have entered parts of Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar.

They have made rapid gains in rural areas since it was announced almost all foreign troops would go by September.

But the fate of these key cities could be crucial amid fears of a humanitarian crisis and how long government forces will be able to hold out.

The fundamentalist Islamist militia is already thought to have captured up to half of all Afghanistan's territory, including lucrative border crossings with Iran and Pakistan.

Children and women are said to be among the victims in Kamdesh, with at least 60 people dead and dozens more missing, and many homes destroyed.

The disaster zone is held by Taliban militants fighting the government.

Talks are being held to try to let rescue teams enter the area which is hard to reach in normal times.

Afghan officials gave a death toll of 60 but the Taliban say 150 people died in the flooding, the Associated Press news agency reports.

The troops retreated over the border to "save their own lives", according to a statement by Tajikistan's border guard.

Violence has risen in Afghanistan and the Taliban have been making significant gains, particularly in the north of the country, in recent weeks.

The surge comes as the US, UK and allies withdraw after 20 years.

The vast majority of remaining foreign forces in Afghanistan have left ahead of a September deadline. There are concerns that the Afghan military, who were supposed to take over security in the country, will collapse.

In northern Afghanistan the Taliban captured the town of Shir Khan Bandar, a dry port on the border with Tajikistan, sending customs workers and members of the security forces fleeing to safety over the border.

Fighting between government forces and the insurgents has surged in recent weeks, with the militants gaining control of more territory as the last US-led international forces prepare to leave after two decades of fighting.

The explosion took place as students were leaving the building on Saturday, with pictures on social media showing abandoned school bags in the street.

Most of those hurt were girls, a ministry of education spokeswoman said.

No-one has admitted carrying out the attack in Dasht-e-Barchi - an area often hit by Sunni Islamist militants.

The neighbourhood is home to many from the Hazara minority community, who are of Mongolian and Central Asian descent and are mainly Shia Muslims.