The Taliban claimed to have captured Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest city on Friday, after days of fierce fighting, according to reports.
AFP quoted a tweet by a Taliban spokesperson who said, the Mujahideen reached Martyrs' Square in Kandahar.
Reports also say that government forces appeared to have withdrawn to a military facility outside the city.
According to AP, the seizure of Kandahar and Herat marks the biggest prizes yet for the Taliban. The group has now taken 12 of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals as it has mounted offensives in the last few days and continue to press forward.
A US military intelligence assessment suggests Kabul could come under Taliban within 30 days and that the group could gain full control of the country within a few months.