Taliban militants have captured a key district in Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz, officials say.
The fighters attacked from several directions and government troops were forced to retreat to Kunduz city, which briefly fell to the Taliban last year. A lack of ammunition and reinforcements contributed to the fall of Khanabad district, the local authorities said. The Taliban have made gains since international troops officially ended their active fighting role in 2014, BBC reported.
Afghan security forces are currently battling the insurgents in nearly half of the country's 34 provinces. Earlier this week, the Taliban captured a district in neighboring Baghlan Province.
"The Taliban attacked the district from different positions and we resisted for hours but we received no support," Reuters quoted Khanabad district administrator, Hayatullah Amiri, as saying. Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the militants had captured the entire district, along with weapons and military vehicles, AP reported.
"If the central government does not pay attention to Kunduz, the Taliban will overrun Kunduz city as they did last year," Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, head of the Kunduz provincial council, said.
