The Taliban pushed closer to Kabul on Saturday, as U.S. diplomats appealed to the militants to stop the advance or risk conflict with thousands of U.S. troops flooding into the capital to evacuate U.S. diplomats and other personnel. With Kabul in the crosshairs, the fate of the country’s Western-allied government also hangs in the balance. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in his first public appearance since the Taliban’s stunning sweep of provincial capitals over the past week, said he was turning to the international community for help even as events appeared to be overtaking him and his administration.