The big cities of Afghanistan had so far spared the Taliban in their advance.
The Islamists have conquered numerous districts since the spring and control sections of several main roads.
In the case of the provincial capitals, with a few exceptions, they limited themselves to encircling them.
Has the battle for these cities started now?
The Taliban have invaded several places since Friday and are engaged in fierce skirmishes with government troops.
The fact that there are offensives on several fronts at the same time indicates a coordinated approach.
Christian Meier
Editor in politics.
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The situation in the south of the country is dramatic.
As a Taliban spokesman confirmed on Sunday, the insurgents fired at least three rockets at Kandahar airport, the capital of the province of the same name, during the night.
This should prevent further air strikes on Taliban positions, he told Reuters.
Two missiles reportedly hit the runway.
Airport operations have been suspended for the time being, but according to the airport director it should possibly be resumed on Sunday.
Battles have been going on for weeks on the outskirts of Kandahar.
The airport is an important center for the defense of the second largest city in Afghanistan.
"You will not find a house here without a weapon"
The situation is similar in Herat, the third largest city. At the weekend there were reports of fighting just a few kilometers from the city center. The provincial capital in the west of the country has been under attack since the end of last week, on Friday a guard at the largest UN base in the city was killed in a Taliban attack. At the beginning of July, the Islamists had already approached the city threateningly. At that time they were repulsed, also with the help of fighters of the former Heratian warlord Ismail Khan, who came to the aid of the army. Since then, his militiamen, together with soldiers, have secured the access to the city. During a recent FAZ visit to Herat, however, these checkpoints looked anything but insurmountable.
There are also doubts about the effectiveness of these militias among observers of the situation in Afghanistan. Recruiting has been rather slow, the fighters are usually not well trained, and the weapons are often rather old-fashioned. When asked about the armament of his fighters, Ismail Khan said in an interview with the FAZ that the weapons were provided by the militiamen themselves. For 40 years, weapons have been brought to Afghanistan from all over the world. "You will not find a house here without a weapon." Ismail Khan did not want to commit himself to a number of his fighters.
On Sunday the government sent several hundred special forces to Herat for reinforcement. The army flew air strikes there and in the provinces of Kandahar and Helmand. One of them hit a hospital in Helmand's capital, Laschkar Gah, which was also attacked; at least one person was killed and several injured. Numerous people fled the cities.