(CNN) Heavy fighting between the Taliban and Afghan government forces has continued in the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah. The Taliban now control several districts of the city, according to local journalists contacted by CNN. The Taliban has long had a strong presence in Helmand province, including around the capital, but has not occupied any part of the capital since being overthrown in 2001. If Lashkar Gah were to fall to the Taliban it would be the first of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals to be lost by the government. The Taliban accused a "mercenary enemy" of killing civilians in an airstrike on the seventh district of Lashkar Gah, an area that's seen heavy clashes.

Source: CNN August 01, 2021 10:41 UTC