The Taliban group warned on Monday residents of Kabul to steer clear of “military centers” in what is believed to be the first time it has singled out the Afghan capital. The Taliban said they were planning more attacks on "the enemys military and intelligence centers" as part of an annual spring offensive. "Therefore, to avoid civilian casualties and only cause damage to enemy military, we are asking Kabul residents to keep away... we dont want even a single innocent civilian to be killed," said a statement published online. The group did not define what was meant by "military and intelligence centers". Such targets are difficult to avoid given that the overcrowded city is the heart of the countrys intelligence, government and military operations and also plagued by traffic jams due to ubiquitous checkpoints and barriers. "Any attacks or explosions, even a small one, would cause civilian casualties because military installations are located in the center of the city near peoples houses," political and military analyst Nik Mohammad told AFP. The Talibans statement was pure propaganda, he said, adding that if they fight in the cities "you will definitely kill civilians, there is no way to avoid that". The militant group has issued such warnings to civilians before, including during a failed attempt to take the western city of Farah last week. The United Nations has said the capital -- where the ISIS group is also stepping up attacks -- is already the deadliest place in the country for civilians. The Taliban statement came Monday as an Afghan official said the group killed at least five members of a de-mining team in southern Kandahar province. Zia Durrani, spokesman for the provincial police chief, said a sixth worker is missing and his fate is unknown following the attack in the district of Maiwand. Durrani stated that the de-miners were working for the TAPI national project, clearing a segment for a planned gas pipeline from central Asia thats headed to Pakistan and India through Afghanistan. The Taliban have previously pledged to cooperate with the TAPI pipeline, named after the countries taking part in the project: Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. An insurgent spokesman said they were still investigating the incident. Meanwhile, Karim Yuresh, police spokesman in northern Faryab province, said the Taliban attacked a district headquarters on Sunday night, burning down about 50 shops in Khuaja Sabz Posh district. He added that reinforcements repelled the attackers. Six insurgents were killed and 10 were wounded. The Taliban has not claimed responsibility for either attack. The Taliban are stepping up their Al Khandaq spring offensive in an apparent rejection of calls to take up the Afghan governments February offer of peace talks. The group portrays itself as taking care to avoid civilian casualties, but has claimed attacks such as a massive bomb hidden in an ambulance in January. This went off in a crowded street and killed more than 100 people. The extremists chilling ability to hit at the heart of the country despite increased police checks has spotlighted security and intelligence failures, with the government of President Ashraf Ghani coming under increasing pressure to protect civilians. Kabul is overflowing with returning refugees and internally displaced Afghans fleeing war and seeking jobs and security. The city is a top target. It accounted for 16 percent of all civilian casualties last year, when 1,831 civilians were killed or wounded nationwide, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. The UN has warned that 2018 could be even deadlier.