Taliban and Afghan forces clash again outside Herat city, a day after UN police guard killed
- Officials and residents reported renewed fighting on the outskirts of Herat, with hundreds fleeing their homes to seek shelter closer to the heart of the city.
- On Friday, the main Herat compound of the UN came under attack from rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire that the UN blamed on anti-government elements
Afghan government forces struggled against Taliban assaults on several major cities Sunday as the insurgents stepped up a nationwide offensive that saw a key airport in the south come under rocket fire overnight.
Hundreds of commandos were deployed to the western city of Herat while authorities in the southern city of Lashkar Gah called for more troops to rein in the assaults.
After seizing large tracts of rural territory and capturing key border crossings, the Taliban have started assaulting provincial capitals with gruelling onslaughts.
Flights out of Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city and the former stronghold for the insurgents, were halted after rockets struck the airport before dawn.
Airport chief Massoud Pashtun said two rockets had hit the runway and repairs were under way with planes likely to resume service later on Sunday.
The facility is vital to maintaining the logistics and air support needed to keep the Taliban from overrunning the city, while also providing aerial cover for large tracts of southern Afghanistan.
