The Afghan defense announced the killing of dozens of Taliban militants in several provinces, at a time when the movement announced its control of the capital of Helmand province, in the south of the country.
In a statement on its Twitter account, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said that government forces killed 131 Taliban in operations in Ghazni, Paktika, Kandahar, Zabul, Herat, Jawzjan, Takhar and Kapisa provinces in the past 24 hours.
In turn, the Taliban announced their control of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, in a large-scale operation that lasted for two days, which led to the escape of government forces, according to what a spokesman for the movement announced.
Taliban spokesman Qari Ahmadi added - via his Twitter account - that the movement's forces attacked the government's commando forces and killed the district police chief.
An Afghan soldier at a checkpoint on the highway between Jalalabad and Kabul (Reuters)
In a related context, the Taliban continued their operations in Herat province, in the west of the country;
It launched an attack on the Injil area, killing a field military commander and wounding the area's police chief, according to tweets by the movement's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.
The spokesman added that Taliban fighters took control of Pashtun Paul district of Injil district of Herat province, after battles with government forces.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan strongly condemned the attack on the United Nations compound in Herat.
Sullivan said in a statement that the United Nations in Afghanistan is a civilian entity focused on supporting peace efforts, promoting the rights of all Afghans, and providing humanitarian and development assistance.
Sullivan called on all regional actors to encourage the Afghan parties to return to negotiations without delay, so that the Afghan people can achieve a lasting and just political settlement.