The United Nations has called on countries neighboring Afghanistan to open their borders to refugees, after the severe escalation of violent confrontations in multiple parts of the country, with the "Taliban" movement expanding its territorial control.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, highlighted the Secretary-General's, Antonio Guterres, willingness to help push forward the ongoing Doha discussions between the Afghan government and the Taliban, as well as provide assistance to the population.

Dujarric went on to say that Guterres expressed deep concern over the situation in Afghanistan, particularly the fighting in Herat and Kandahar.

Dujarric added, "We are particularly concerned about the shift of fighting to urban areas, where the potential of civilian harm is even greater."

The Secretary-General expressed hope that this week's talks in Doha between Afghan and Taliban representatives, as well as regional and international envoys, will reopen the door to a negotiated settlement of the war.

An Afghan official in the state of Kandahar announced that the Taliban had seized the city. The movement also gained control of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province in Afghanistan's south, in addition to the city of Herat west of the country, according to an Afghan security source. 

In an interview with the BBC, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace warned that Afghanistan was heading toward a "civil war", noting that "the West must understand that the Taliban is not a single entity, but a title for a myriad of competing interests."