The Taliban claimed responsibility for killing Dawa Khan Menapal, head of the Government Media and Information Centre (GMIC). An official in the federal interior ministry said that "the savage terrorists killed" him during Friday prayers.

"He (Menapal) was a young man who stood like a mountain in the face of enemy propaganda, and who was always a major supporter of the (Afghan) regime," said Mirwais Stanikzai, a spokesperson of the interior ministry.

Menapal had also served as a spokesperson in Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's outreach team.

The assassination was the latest in a series conducted by the hardline Islamist group to weaken Ghani's democratically elected, western backed regime.

Scores of social activists, journalists, bureaucrats, judges and public figures who were fighting to sustain a liberal Islamic regime have been killed by Taliban fighters in a bid to silence voices of dissent in the war-torn country.

A Taliban spokesperson said Menapal was "killed in a special attack by the Mujaheedin (Taliban fighters) and was punished for his actions."

In a tweet, U.S. Charge d'Affaires Ross Wilson said he was saddened and disgusted by the killing of Menapal, who he called a friend and colleague whose career was focused on providing truthful information to all Afghans.

"These murders are an affront to Afghans' human rights & freedom of speech, " he said.

On Tuesday, the district governor of Sayed Abad district in Maidan Wardak province was also assassinated in Kabul by Taliban fighters.

The Taliban have killed up to 900 people in the southern province of Kandahar in the past month and a half, local TOLO News reported, citing the province's ex-police chief Tadin Khan.

According to Khan, who is also a member of the High Council of the National Reconciliation, the group "does not believe in human rights." Their targets became detained soldiers, police officers, tribal leaders, and civillians, including even a popular comedian, all of whom they allege had ties to the Afghan government.

The Taliban forcefully took these people from their homes and executed them, Khan reportedly said.

"They possibly martyred 800 to 900 people in the past month and a half. The people have suffered enormously. The brutality that occurred in Boldak," Khan was quoted by the outlet as saying.

Taliban fighters have reclaimed control over much of the province, including its capital (also called Kandahar), as the group continues its violent seizure of power amid the withdrawal of foreign troops. This contradicts their earlier statements that the group is committed to settling the conflict peacefully.

On Tuesday, an eyewitness and a source in the Kabul police told Sputnik that a car was blown up near the house of Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, after which several armed people entered the premises. Later in the day, the minister confirmed that neither he nor his family had been injured. Nevertheless, the attack did claim the lives of eight people and left another 20 injured.

The Taliban have taken responsibility for the assault.

Amid the group's large territorial gains, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has blamed the deteriorating security situation in his country on Washington's "abrupt" decision to withdraw forces. The president said that Kabul had launched a six-month security plan, under which the armed forces are set to focus on defending strategic targets, while police will ensure security in cities and strategic districts.

After he revealed that American troops would leave Afghanistan by August 31, US President Joe Biden said that he "does not trust the Taliban," but he does "trust the capacity of the Afghan military," as the forces are "more competent in terms of conducting war" if need be. His words came just as reports indicated that the Islamist group had captured a third key border crossing.

The troop pullout was one of the points of the agreement that the radical group and the United States reached in Doha in February 2020. Last month, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is more than 95 percent complete.

* A terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states

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Israel's defense minister has said the country's armed forces are ready to strike Iran should it become necessary, as tensions rise further after an Iran-linked attack on an Israeli tanker killed two people.

On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was asked by Ynet news whether Israel was ready to strike Iran. Gantz answered simply with one word - "Yes".

The minister went on to say that Tel Aviv sees it as important to mobilize the international community to counter Iran's influence and growing assertiveness.

"We can't tag Iran as solely an Israeli problem and absolve the rest of the world from this issue."

When questioned, Gantz confirmed that he was talking about the allied nations supporting military action against Iran.

"The world needs to deal with Iran, the region needs to deal with Iran, and Israel also needs to do its part in this situation."

On Wednesday, Gantz, along with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, identified who they believe to be the leader behind last week's deadly drone attack, which killed two seamen on an Israeli oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

"Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC's Air Force, is behind dozens of terror attacks in the region employing UAVs and missiles."

The defense minister also claimed Iran was just 10 weeks away from having enough fissile material to produce a nuclear bomb, also known as 'breakout time'.

Tel Aviv is seeking to convene the UN Security Council over the Iranian-linked attack which killed a Briton and Romanian. Britain and the US have also stated that they believe Iran was behind the attack.

Iran has denied any responsibility and vowed to deliver a "strong" response to any measures taken against them after the UK said it would not let the death of British sailor going unpunished.