The struggle between the Taliban and government forces to claim the key city of Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan has intensified sharply with heavy bombing by the insurgent group being reported by local media.
Inhabitants of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, have been told to evacuate the Taliban held areas of the city by General Sami Sadat, commander of the 215 Maiwand Afghan Army Corps, "as soon as they could" as the army launches a major offensive against the group.
On Tuesday afternoon, Afghan forces bombed suspected Taliban hide-outs and targeted an insurgent stronghold in the Dand District of Kandahar province.
Local news channels supporting the Taliban also released clips of collateral damage, with scores of civilians caught up in the crossfire. Some newspapers are calling the conflict "joint war crimes committed by the Kabul administration and the American occupiers in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province."
As the fighting rages on, local media reported that two rockets landed near the runway at Herat Airport on Tuesday afternoon, forcing a flight that was about to land to turn back to Kabul.
As hundreds of residents are fleeing from their homes in besieged cities, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has expressed "deep concern" for their plight.
As many as four offices used by television and radio stations have been taken over by the Taliban, reported Afghanistan's TV news channel Tolo News.