Taliban militants have warned civilians in the Afghan capital Kabul to stay away from foreign and Afghan government establishments as they vow more attacks.
An emailed statement from the Taliban on Monday asked Kabul residents to "refrain from going to, walking by or staying in areas of enemy establishments."
The statement blamed the Afghan government and the international community for civilian casualties during their attacks saying that the "enemies have built their offices and centres in places where they are using civilians as a shield."
Civilian casualties have been increasing significantly in recent years, especially in the capital Kabul where both the Taliban and Islamic State launched more than 20 large-scale attacks last year and nine others since the beginning of 2018.
Three attacks by the Taliban and six by Islamic State in Kabul alone have killed around 288 civilians and injured at least 525 others.
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According to the annual civilian casualties report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the Taliban caused 42 per cent of all civilian casualties last year.
The statement comes after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered a comprehensive peace deal to the Taliban in February.
The militants have not officially responded, but instead launched a fierce spring offensive in April and subsequently increased their attacks throughout Afghanistan.
According to a report by the US watchdog the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in May, 14.5 per cent of more than 400 districts are controlled by Taliban, while some 30 per cent remain contested.
