Afghan president replaces army chief of staff after stunning blitz by Taliban across the country

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has replaced his army chief of staff after a stunning blitz by the Taliban across the country that included seizing three more provincial capitals and a local army headquarters. The insurgents now control some two-thirds of the nation as the U.S. and NATO finalize their withdrawal after a decades-long war there. The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces to the northeast and Farah province to the west put increasing pressure on the country’s central government to stem the tide of the advance, even as its lost a major base in Kunduz on Wednesday. Ghani rushed to Balkh province to seek help pushing back the insurgents from warlords. The province is already surrounded by Taliban-held territory.