All flights at the airport in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar have been canceled for the time being after it was partially destroyed by a Taliban missile. Airport director Masoud Pashtun told AFP that at least three bullets were hit on Saturday evening. The two of them crashed into the runway. Reuters also reported the incident. The airport plays an essential role in defending the city against radical Islamists.
On Saturday, renewed fighting erupted between government forces and the extremist Islamic Taliban movement on the outskirts of the western Afghan city of Herat. Officials and residents reported clashes on the outskirts of Herat. Hundreds of people fled their homes in search of shelter near the city center.
According to the governor of Herat, Abdul Sabur Kani, most of the fighting took place in the Injil and Gosara districts. “We are keen to avoid civilian casualties,” Kanye said.
Government forces also launched an air strike on a small hospital in the city of Lashkar Gah in southern Helmand province on Saturday. According to official information, the hospital had previously been taken over by the Taliban to care for the wounded. According to an official, one person was killed in the attacks and the hospital was destroyed.
Since the start of the withdrawal of international forces, the Taliban have occupied large parts of the country in the Hindu Kush region. Since this week, Islamists and government forces have been battling on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan’s third largest city with a population of 600,000.