Armed group also claims it has captured the 10th provincial capital of Ghazni, but government insists it remains in control.
Afghan government forces continue to battle Taliban fighters in and around several cities as the armed group presses on with its offensive that US intelligence believes could see it take over capital Kabul within 90 days.
Fighting is raging in Lashkar Gah, one of Afghanistan’s largest cities in the Taliban heartland of Helmand province, where surrounded government forces hope to hold onto the capital after the Taliban’s weeklong blitz has seen it already seize nine others around the country.
The Lashkar Gah regional police headquarters were taken by the armed group, with some police officers surrendering to the fighters and others retreating to the nearby governor’s office still held by government forces.
Meanwhile, the Taliban appeared to be pressing Ghazni, into the capital of Ghazni province, about 130km (80 miles) southwest of capital Kabul.
Local sources have told Al Jazeera that fighting continues in Ghazni. The most intense fighting remains near the intelligence headquarters as special forces and the military are fighting to push back the Taliban.
Here are all the latest updates:
Police headquarters falls to Taliban in Lashkar Gah
The Taliban has captured police headquarters in Lashkar Gah, a provincial capital in southern Afghanistan that is teetering towards being lost to the armed group as suspected US air raids pounded the area, an official has said.
On Wednesday, a suicide car bombing marked the latest wave to target the capital’s regional police headquarters.
By Thursday, the Taliban had taken the building, with some police officers surrendering to the group and others retreating to the nearby governor’s office still held by government forces, said Nasima Niazi, a lawmaker from Helmand.
Niazi said she believed the Taliban attack killed and wounded security force members, but she had no casualty figures.
Taliban launches attacks on Ghazni from several directions
The Taliban appears to be pressing into Ghazni, the capital of Ghazni province, about 130km (80 miles) southwest of Kabul.
Wahidullah Jumazada, a spokesman for the provincial governor in Ghazni, acknowledged the fighters had launched attacks from several directions on the capital, but insisted the government remained in control.
The Taliban posted a video online claiming it had made it inside the provincial capital.
Local sources have told Al Jazeera that fighting continues in Ghazni. The most intense fighting remains near the intelligence headquarters as special forces and the military are fighting to push back the Taliban.
Taliban breaches Kandahar’s central prison, release prisoners
Local security sources have confirmed Taliban reports that the group has breached the central prison in the city of Kandahar, Al Jazeera’s Ali M Latifi reports from Kabul.
The armed group claims to have freed “hundreds” of prisoners, he said.
“Previously, the Taliban had breached the Kandahar prison in 2008 and 2011, those breaches also led to the escape of hundreds of prisoners.”
UN: Almost 390,000 people newly displaced in Afghanistan
Almost 390,000 people have been newly displaced by conflict in Afghanistan since the start of the year, with a huge spike since May, a UN spokesperson says.
“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that between 1 July and 5 August 2021, the humanitarian community verified that 5,800 internally displaced persons have arrived in Kabul and are seeking safety from the conflict and other threats,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
He added that a multi-billion dollar humanitarian assistance fund for Afghanistan had a shortfall of $800m.