In Afghanistan, government forces claim that at least one hundred Taliban were killed in air strikes targeting militants' positions on the Herat's outskirts.

According to the Afghan Ministry of Defence, Afghan and US air strikes have reportedly targeted Taliban positions.

Afghan government forces are struggling against Taliban assaults on several major cities today as the Taliban stepped up a nationwide offensive.

After seizing large tracts of rural territory, the Taliban have intensified the war to seize provincial capitals of Herat, Lashkargah and Kandahar from government forces.

Meanwhile, all flights from Kandahar airport have been cancelled after rockets fired by Taliban hit its runway.

The attack came as the Taliban inched closer to overrun at least two other provincial capitals, including nearby Lashkar Gah in Helmand province.