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The Taliban captured an important district in their former stronghold of Kandahar after fierce night fighting with Afghan government forces, officials said on Sunday, causing dozens of families to flee the area . A truck drives on a dirt road: Afghan soldiers stand guard at a roadside checkpoint outside Bagram Air Force Base after all US and NATO troops leave Zakeria in HASHIMI. Insurgents have continued their campaign to conquer territories in rural Afghanistan since early May when the US military began its final withdrawal from the violence-ravaged country. The case of Panjwai district in southern Kandahar province comes just two days after US and NATO forces evacuated their main Bagram airfield near Kabul, from where they operated for two decades against the Taliban and its al-Qaeda allies directed. Over the years there have been regular clashes between the Taliban and Afghan forces in and around Panjwai, with insurgents attempting to occupy it because of its proximity to the provincial capital, Kandahar. The leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, is from Panjwai. Kandahar Province is the birthplace of the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan under a strict version of Islamic Sharia law until they were overthrown by a US-led invasion in 2001, resulting in the withdrawal of government forces from the area. "The Taliban have captured the district police headquarters and the governor's office building," Newsvillepost learned. The chairman of the provincial council of Kandahar, Sayed Jan Khakriwal, upheld the case of Panjwai, but accused the government forces of "deliberate withdrawal". "The Taliban Do Not Want Peace" Dozens of Panjwai families fled their homes after the Taliban captured the district, a correspondent for the Newsville Post reported. READ ALSO: "The Taliban shot our car when I was fleeing with my family. At least five bullets hit my car," Giran, a Panjwai resident, told Newsvillepost when he sought refuge in Kandahar town. "The Taliban are up in the mountains, shooting at every moving vehicle. The Taliban don't want peace." Assadullah, a border police commander in the area, said that only the police fought the insurgents. "The army and commandos that have better military equipment don't fight at all," he said. Panjwai is the fifth district of Kandahar Province that fell victim to the insurgents in recent weeks. Fighting has broken out in several provinces of Afghanistan and the Taliban claim to have captured more than 100 of the country's nearly 400 counties. Afghan officials deny the allegations but acknowledge that government forces have withdrawn from some districts. It is difficult to independently review the situation. The withdrawal of foreign troops from Bagram Air Force Base north of Kabul has raised concerns that the insurgents will intensify their campaign to conquer new territories. The Bagram Air Force Base is of great military and symbolic importance, as foreign troops stationed there provide important air support in the fight against insurgents. , Experts say one of the main reasons government forces lost dozens of districts was the lack of US air support in recent weeks. Afghan authorities who have taken control of Bagram Air Force Base say they will use it to fight terrorism and have already reactivated their radar system. Read the full article