Afghan War Causes Record Bloodshed Amid US Troop Exit 

ISLAMABAD - The simmering war in Afghanistan, if official accounts are to be accepted, has killed more people last month than in any other month since 2001, when the United States and NATO troops invaded the country.

Battlefield violence between pro-Afghan government forces and the Taliban insurgency have particularly surged since May 1, when the last of the U.S.-led international forces formally began exiting the conflict-torn nation under orders from President Joe Biden. The Taliban have overrun dozens of districts across Afghanistan, including several more during Thursday’s fighting, as foreign troops leave the country. Local Afghan officials and residents say pro-government forces in many areas are surrendering and abandoning territory without offering any resistance to the Taliban. Afghan security forces, backed by air power, have retaken some of the lost territory and say they have inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban.