 Taliban insurgents have captured an Afghan provincial capital. They've killed the government's senior media officer in Kabul, as U.S. and other foreign troops withdraw. The funeral service for Dawah Khan Menopal, a senior spokesperson for the Afghan government who was assassinated in Kabul on Friday by Taliban insurgents, is one of the latest signs of the rapidly deteriorating situation there as U.S. and allied forces withdraw from the country. The Taliban representative says the killing was punishment. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says the Taliban are filling coffins with young people like savages. Scores of social activists, journalists, and public officials are being killed by the group. Meanwhile, the Taliban is also continuing to advance in territory. On Friday, they took control of their first regional capital, Ziraj, according to local police, who say it was due to lack of reinforcements for government troops. And on the Afghan-Pakistan border, hundreds of people have become stranded since the Taliban took a checkpoint last month. Pakistan started enforcing visa requirements more strictly after the Taliban took control. Travelers, Reuters spoke with, say they don't have the money for a hotel and their food is running out. The Taliban say the crossing will remain closed until visa restrictions are lifted. The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage of its air force conducting drills near the Afghan border with Uzbekistan. Russia and Uzbekistan are both afraid of spillover from the conflict. Russia's U.N. ambassador says there is a real danger of Afghanistan slipping into a full-scale and protracted civil war. Hello, hope you enjoyed the news. Please do subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.