In Afghanistan, fierce battle continues between government forces and Taliban in and around several cities.

Fighting has been extremely intense in Kandahar city as the city hospital have received scores of bodies of members of the armed forces and some wounded Taliban.

The Taliban have claimed to have captured Kandahar's provincial prison and Ghazni city, 150 km southwest of Kabul.

The Taliban have captured airports outside the cities of Kunduz and Sheberghan in the north and Farah in the west.