(ANI): Taliban has toppled six provincial capitals in the past 24 hours which brings the total number of provinces fallen to the terrorists to 18, local media reported on Friday.Khaama Press reported that centers of Kandahar, Helmand, Herat, Badghis, Ghor, Logar, Zabul, and Oruzgan provinces fell to the Taliban in the past 24 hours. Apart from said provinces, there are also other provinces like Paktia and Wardak where the Afghan government forces only control the provincial capitals and the Taliban are controlling the rest of the geography, it reported further.

Meanwhile, former Mujahideen leader and senior member of Jamaat-e-Islami party, Ismail Khan, whose militia helped US forces topple the Taliban in 2001, was captured on Friday by the Taliban along with other top government officials, TOLO News citing sources reported.

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)