According to the Taliban's spokesman and Afghan officials, Taliban gunmen assassinated Afghanistan's senior media and communication officer in Kabul.
The assassination took place just days after the Taliban threatened to assassinate prominent government officials in revenge for intensified airstrikes.
An officer from the federal interior ministry stated that Dawa Khan Minapal, the Government Media and Information Centre chief, had been assassinated.
“Unfortunately, the savage terrorists have once again committed a cowardly act by martyring a patriotic Afghan,” said Mirwais Stanikzai, a spokesman for the interior ministry.
Minapal was also the spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
“He was well-known to Afghan journalists, a member of President Ghani's inner circle, and our understanding is that he went to Friday prayers and was killed,” Al Jazeera's James Bays reported from Kabul.
The Taliban is closing in on the provincial capitals of two provinces.
Officials say Taliban fighters have increased battles with Afghan forces and targeted government-allied militias, extending their control of border towns and closing in on two provincial capitals as foreign personnel leave.
According to reports quoted by Reuters, at least 10 Afghan soldiers and a commander of armed militants belonging to the Abdul Rashid Dostum militia organization were killed in the northern province of Jowzjan on Friday.
“This week, the Taliban launched violent attacks on the outskirts of (provincial capital) Sheberghan, and a pro-government militia forces commander loyal to Dustom was killed during heavy clashes,” said Abdul Qader Malia, deputy governor of Jowzjan province.
The Taliban, whose government was deposed by US-led forces in 2001, has intensified its drive to depose the Western-backed government as foreign forces retreat after 20 years of conflict.
Another member of the provincial council claimed that the Taliban now held nine of Jowzjan's ten districts and that the battle for Sheberghan was underway.
Damage to civilian property in southern Helmand province exacerbated the humanitarian catastrophe, as businesses caught fire during a week-long fight for control of Lashkar Gah's metropolis.
According to Al Jazeera's Bays, the situation in Lashkar Gah is dire, and the administration may lose its first provincial capital.
According to Bays, there is heavy combat near the intelligence offices in the heart of Lashkar Gah, as well as the major prison.
“There is speculation that the Taliban may be attempting to break into the prison to free some of the inmates, including Taliban detainees,” he claimed.
According to Bays, Afghan troops claim to have killed one Taliban commander, Mawlawi Mubarak, who was the commander of the group's special forces, known as the red unit, according to the government.
“(The death) has not been confirmed by the Taliban,” he said.
The United Nations Security Council will meet to discuss Afghanistan.
The United Nations expressed grave worry this week for the safety of tens of thousands of refugees stranded in the city.
According to diplomats, the UN Security Council will convene an open meeting on Friday to discuss the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government, as well as Norway and Estonia, had sought the meeting, which will begin at 10:00 a.m. (14:00 GMT), according to the diplomats.
The Security Council last met in Afghanistan in June, but the conflict-torn country's situation has dramatically deteriorated since then.
“The violence has only increased, and there is no way to assess the damage in Lashkar Gah because both sides are engaged in a fierce ground battle... Even relief agencies are having difficulty recovering the dead, according to a top Western security officer in Kabul.
During fighting in the area on Thursday, a bomb exploded near the Action Against Hunger office in Lashkar Gah.
“Civilians are caught in the middle of a conflict. They are being displaced from their homes and are frequently the first victims of the conflict,” said Mike Bonke, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Afghanistan.
“Humanitarian organizations like Action Against Hunger do their best to meet people's needs,” he said in a statement, “but we need safety guarantees from all parties to be able to operate.”
