Simultaneously with the withdrawal of international troops, the Taliban are intensifying their attacks on representatives of the Afghan government.
There is currently fierce fighting in several cities.
Kabul - In Afghanistan, fierce fighting between government troops and militant Islamist Taliban has broken out in two of the country's most important provincial capitals.
In Laschkarga, capital of the southern Helmand province, fighting took place in various districts on Saturday, the provincial authorities announced.
The Taliban attacked the city four days earlier.
In the city of Herat in the province of the same name in the west of the country, the fighting raged just a few kilometers from the city center.
There were also minor clashes in the southern province of Kandahar.
Helmand, Herat and Kandahar are the three largest provinces of Afghanistan in terms of area.
In Herat, the Taliban also attacked a UN base on Friday, killing a guard and injuring several others.
The UN strongly condemned the attack.
Civilian victims too
Civilians were also endangered during the fighting in the various provinces.
Provincial councilor Abdul Majid Akhundzada told the German press agency that civilians were killed and injured in Laschkarga.
A private hospital where Taliban fighters were hiding was hit by air strikes.
In Afghanistan, after almost 20 years, an international military operation that led to the overthrow of the Taliban rule in the fall of 2001 is coming to an end these days.
The German Bundeswehr has already withdrawn its troops completely.
The US military mission in the country is slated to end on August 31.
Recently, however, in view of the advance of the Taliban, the US has again carried out more air strikes, in which the planes took off from outside the country.
dpa