Kabul [Afghanistan] August 12 (ANI): Taliban on Thursday claimed to have captured the police headquarters in Herat in western Afghanistan and the country's third-largest city, on Thursday amid US troop withdrawal from the country.

"The police headquarters in Herat is captured," Sputnik cited a Taliban statement.

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Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that Taliban has entered Kandahar city. Some local residents told the media outlet that the situation in Afghanistan's second-largest city was "dire", as intense fighting rages between rebels and government forces inside the city limits.

Earlier today, the Taliban captured the tenth provincial city of Ghazni.

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Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive against Afghan forces and civilians with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.

Due to rising violence in the country by the Taliban, the situation is deteriorating badly as the terror group has been looting people and killing civilians after capturing multiple areas from the government.

The Taliban escalated its offensive against the Afghan forces soon after the US forces started leaving Afghanistan in large numbers after the peace deal signed between Washington and the Taliban in February last year.

On Wednesday, President Ashraf Ghani appointed a new chief of army staff in an attempt to give a robust response to the terror group on the ground.

Haibatullah Alizai replaced Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, as the new chief of army staff. Alizai previously worked as commander of the Afghan National Army Commando. (ANI)

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