AFGHAN ARMY URGES CIVILIANS TO EVACUATE CITY BESIEGED BY TALIBAN

Residents were urged Tuesday to evacuate a besieged Afghan city as the army prepared a major offensive against Taliban insurgents after three days of heavy fighting. The Taliban have seized control of much of rural Afghanistan since foreign forces began the last stage of their withdrawal in May, but are now focused on capturing provincial capitals, where they are meeting stiffer resistance.

General Sami Sadat, commander of the 215 Maiwand Afghan Army Corps, told residents to get out as soon as they could.

Officials said earlier that insurgents had seized more than a dozen local radio and TV stations in Lashkar Gah, leaving only one pro-taliban channel broadcasting Islamic programming.

“UN urges immediate end to fighting in urban areas.”

In recent days, the US military has intensified air strikes across the country in a bid to stem Taliban advances.

“The Taliban are in the people’s houses and the government is bombing them. About 20 houses in my neighbourhood have been bombed, they are fighting streetto-street battles,” he said.

Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission earlier said the insurgents had indulged in revenge killings there of at least 40 people.