Kabul, Jul 14 (IANS): Taliban militants have been intensifying activities to capture more districts, as the U.S. troops are completing the pull-out from Afghanistan.

In the meantime, Afghan security forces have been conducting counter-offensives to foil the militant group's efforts.

In the latest wave of conflict, Taliban has stepped up offensives on Kandahar city, capital of southern Kandahar province, Taluqan city, capital of northern Takhar province, Kunduz city, capital of northern Kunduz province and Badghis province's capital Qala-e-Naw in the west, Xinhua reported.

In Taliban's former stronghold Kandahar city, officials said on Tuesday that dozens of people, mostly civilians, including women and children, have been killed and injured over the past 24 hours.

A doctor in Mir Wais hospital of Kandahar city, on condition of anonymity, said that 18 injured civilians including nine children and a woman have been taken to the hospital for medical treatment since Tuesday morning. Two dead bodies have also been taken to the hospital, the doctor added.

The Taliban attack on Taluqan city had been foiled and the militants retreated after leaving 12 bodies behind, an army officer, Sayed Naeem said Tuesday.

The militants have captured three districts including Malustan in the eastern Ghazni province, and Kohmard and Sighan districts in the central Bamyan province over the past 24 hours, during which, Kuran-wa-Munjan district in Badakhshan province was regained by security forces.

Taliban militants have been fighting hard to overrun Ghazni city, capital of Ghazni province, in an effort to take control of the highway linking the national capital Kabul with Kandahar city in the south, and the western Herat province. Kandahar city is merely around 450 kms away from Kabul.