The British warned against leaving Afghanistan immediately as the war entered a “more lethal and destructive phase” | world News

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British nationals in Afghanistan were told to leave immediately as the war in the country moved into what the United Nations described as a “more lethal and destructive phase”.

The Foreign, Commonwealth Office and Development Office issued a travel advisory Friday evening against travel to Afghanistan.

“If you are still in Afghanistan, we advise you to leave now by commercial routes due to the deteriorating security situation,” she added.

Photo: Since the withdrawal of foreign forces, violence has escalated in the country

It comes after Taliban fighters recaptured Zaranj in southern Nimroz, the first provincial capital to fall to the extremist group since it briefly captured Kunduz in the north in 2016.

The Taliban posted pictures on social media that showed militants inside the local airport, as well as taking pictures at the entrance to the city.

Nimroz is a sparsely populated and mostly desert area, with the regional capital having a population of about 50,000.

At least 1,000 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan over the past month, and more than half of the 421 districts and local centers are now in Taliban hands, along with lucrative border crossings into Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

At a special meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, Deborah Lyons, the UN envoy to Afghanistan, said the fighting and the resulting casualties were worsening.

She said: “The war in Afghanistan has entered a new, more lethal and destructive phase.”

“The provincial capitals of Kandahar, Herat and Lashkar Gah in particular have come under great pressure.

“This is a clear attempt by the Taliban to seize urban centers by force of arms.”

Image: The fighting has forced hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians from their homes. Pic: AP

“The human toll from this strategy is very worrying – and the political message is very worrying,” she added.

It said 104 civilians were killed in just 10 days in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, where militants overran the country after the withdrawal of foreign forces earlier this year.

Also on Friday, Afghan government forces joined US planes in attacking Taliban positions in Helmand, where the militants control nine of the city’s 10 districts.

Photo: Dua Khan Manpal was formerly a deputy spokesperson for President Ashraf Ghani. Pic: AP Image: Dawa Khan Minapal was shot dead while in his car during Friday prayers. Pic: AP

Meanwhile, the Taliban assassinated Dawa Khan Minapal, Afghan government’s head of press operations for local and foreign media and former deputy spokesperson for President Ashraf Ghani.

Mr. Minabal was killed while in his car during Friday prayers in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

This comes days after the attempted assassination of the country’s acting defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, in a Taliban bombing that left eight dead and 20 wounded.

The minister was unhurt.

The Taliban last month seized the town of Spin Boldak, near one of the country’s busiest border crossings with Pakistan.

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Thousands of people cross daily, along with a steady stream of trucks transporting goods into the landlocked country from the port city of Karachi on the Arabian Sea.

However, the Taliban closed the crossing on Friday due to a visa dispute, claiming that Pakistan is complying with the Kabul government’s requirements for Afghans traveling to Pakistan. Previously, travel documents were rarely required.

A Taliban statement said: “The border will remain closed until Pakistan allows all Afghans to cross on the basis of our old procedures.”

On Friday, at least 1,500 people were waiting on both sides to pass, with more than 600 trucks loaded with fresh perishable food, backed up on both sides of the border.

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