Clashes have escalated across the country since early May, when US-led foreign forces began their withdrawal from the country.

In the strategically and symbolically important city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, which in the mid-1990s was the capital of the Taliban, the fighting is described by a local politician as the worst in 20 years.

During the night until Sunday, at least three rockets hit the city's airport.

The runway was damaged and all departures from the airport were canceled.

Later in the day, airport manager Massoud Pashtun said that traffic could probably resume later on Sunday.

The airport is crucial for the city to prevent the Taliban from taking over.

It is also important for large parts of southern Afghanistan's air defense.

More battles

Fighting is taking place in nearby Lashkar Gah in Helmand province and special forces have been deployed, Ataullah Afghan, head of the provincial council in Helmand, told AFP.

The city has about 200,000 inhabitants.

“The city is in its worst condition.

I do not know what will happen, "said Halim Karimi, a resident of Lashkar Gah.

Further west, near Iran, on the outskirts of the city of Herat, fighting continued overnight.

On Sunday, Afghanistan's Defense Ministry announced that hundreds of soldiers had been sent to Herat to help in the fighting.

About 100 soldiers have been killed in the fighting in Herat, according to provincial governor spokesman Jailani Farhad.

However, it is difficult to assess the actual number of deaths.

Both the Taliban and government forces tend to exaggerate the death toll from the other side.

Rejected the Taliban's success

The military situation in Afghanistan has been the same for many years: the Taliban have had their base in sparsely populated areas, while government forces have controlled urban areas and hubs.

With a few exceptions, the Taliban have contented themselves with carrying out terrorist attacks and individual minor attacks in the heavily fortified cities.

Although the movement has occupied Afghan cities in the past, it has only managed to retain them for a short period.

The Afghan government has repeatedly during the summer dismissed the Taliban's conquests as having no strategic value.

But in recent weeks, the government's air force has provided the capital, Kabul, with more resources to fight the Taliban.

Senior US officials have confirmed that the US military has carried out airstrikes against the Taliban to help Afghan forces, writes AFP.

In September, the US military is said to have completely left Afghanistan.