Kabul [Afghanistan]: Over 90 Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorists were killed; and 16 others suffered injuries in security operations conducted by Afghan forces in the past 24 hours in the city of Lashkar Gah, the Afghan Defence Ministry announced on Friday.

Last week, heavy fighting erupted between Taliban and Afghan forces in the capital of Helmand Province.

The ministry said the Taliban's red unit commander for Helmand named Mawlawi Mubarak was among those killed in the recent operations.

"Taliban's red unit commander for Helmand named Mawlawi Mubarak among 94 other terrorists including Taliban and AQIS members were killed & 16 others wounded in the past 24 hrs by Afghan Armed Forces in #Lashkargah," Afghan Defence Ministry spokesperson Fawad Aman tweeted.

In the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified their offensive against civilians and Afghan security forces with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.

The Taliban forces have also taken control over several districts of Kandahar and have detained hundreds of residents whom they accuse of association with the government. The Taliban have reportedly killed some detainees, including relatives of provincial government officials and members of the police and army.

In another recent development, civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first half of 2021 reached record levels with over 1,659 people killed and 3,254 others wounded.The rise is mainly due to a spike in violence in May that corresponded with the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.

Moreover, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Wednesday that they will continue their attacks on Afghan officials, after a car bomb attack on the country's acting defence minister General Bismillah Mohammadi's house.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will be meeting on Friday, August 6, under Indian Presidency to discuss the surge in violence by the Taliban in Afghanistan post US drawdown.