A senior Afghan commander urged civilians Tuesday to evacuate a besieged provincial capital ahead of an army offensive against the Taliban.
"Please leave as soon as possible so that we can start our operation," General Sami Sadat, commander of the 215 Maiwand Afghan Army Corps, told residents of the southern city of Lashkar Gah in a message to media.
At least 40 civilians have been killed and more than 100 wounded in the last 24 hours of fighting between Afghan government forces and the Taliban in a besieged southern city, the United Nations said Tuesday.
In a tweet, the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan expressed "deepening concern" at the plight of civilians in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, urging an "immediate end to fighting in urban areas".