The Taliban Islamist militant group has conducted a wave of attacks in Afghanistan over the past several days, as the UN warns that the intensified military campaign threatens to reverse any progress on politics, security and the peace process in the war-torn country. 

Afghan officials said the Taliban was capturing territory in northern Afghanistan, moving beyond its typical strongholds in the southern areas of the country.

The militants managed to capture Shir Khan Bandar on Tuesday, an important northern town that serves as Afghanistan's main border crossing with Tajikistan. 

Afghan officials said Tuesday that the Taliban had also taken control of the districts of Nahrin and Baghlan-e Markazi, which are both located in the northern province of Baghlan.

UN says Taliban controls over 50 districts 

UN Special Envoy on Afghanistan Deborah Lyons said Tuesday that the Taliban has captured more than 50 of 370 districts in the country since May. 

"Those districts that have been taken surround provincial capitals, suggesting that the Taliban are positioning themselves to try and take these capitals once foreign forces are fully withdrawn," Lyons told the UN Security Council. 

"The Taliban's recent advances are even more significant and are a result of an intensified military campaign," Lyons said. "For the Taliban to continue this intensive military campaign would be a tragic course of action," she added. 
President Joe Biden announced in April that all US troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11 of this year. Other NATO countries have also pledged to pull their troops out of the South Asian nation.

Lyons said increased conflict in Afghanistan "means increased insecurity for many other countries, near and far." 

How will the US respond?

The rapid territorial expansion of the Taliban means that the US will likely continue to conduct counterinsurgency efforts, despite the pullout of troops.

US officials have said they will continue to collect intelligence on the group and conduct military strikes from nearby countries in the region. The search for a new US military base in the region could be difficult, as it could ramp up tensions with Russia and China, two key players in Central Asia.

Some neighboring countries, such as Pakistan, have ruled out hosting US troops.  

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Tuesday that the US will also use economic assistance and diplomacy "to support the peaceful, stable future the Afghan people want and deserve."

The US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 following the 9/11 terrorist attacks ousted the Taliban from power. Human rights advocates warn that the Taliban may roll back women's rights advancements in the country if the group fully regains control.

Biden will meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday to discuss the pullout. 

wd/wmr (Reuters, AFP, dpa)