TEHERAN, August 10. /TASS/. Intensified fighting in Afghanistan creates direct threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement on Tuesday amid the intensified armed confrontation between Taliban (outlawed in Russia) militants and government forces in the cities of Kunduz, Lashkar Gah, and Kandahar.

"Hundreds of thousands of civilians are at risk as fighting intensifies in and around Kunduz, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, and other Afghan cities," the Pajhwok news agency quoted the statement. "Kunduz, Lashkargah, Kandahar and other cities have been in the grip of fierce fighting over the past few days. Many civilians, in addition to suffering casualties, have been displaced."

The ICRC called on the warring parties to show restraint. It also called "for civilians and vital infrastructure such as hospitals to be protected from attack and any collateral damage caused by fighting in populated areas."

US President Joe Biden said on April 14 he had decided to finish the operation in Afghanistan, the longest foreign military campaign in US history, and pull out American troops by September 11.

The US operation in Afghanistan has been ongoing since October 2001. At its peak in 2010-2013, the number of foreign troops in the country exceeded 150,000 soldiers. The main operational forces of the US and NATO were withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2014.

Since April, the security situation in Afghanistan has seriously degraded, with the Taliban movement expanding its offensive. It claims it has established control over about 85% of the country’s territory, including areas along the borders with Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.