Taliban militants have announced launching an offensive against Mazar-e-Sharif, the administrative center of the northwestern Balkh Province of Afghanistan, AP reported.

Earlier, the Taliban captured two major cities in the country’s northern provinces: Puli Khumri in Baghlan Province, and Faizabad in Badakhshan Province, which borders Tajikistan.

According to analysts, the radicals currently control 70 percent of Afghanistan, including areas bordering Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.