The Afghan Taliban captured a strategic district in the northern province of Kunduz on Saturday, forcing troops to retreat to the provincial capital which fell briefly to the insurgents last year.
According to officials, the militants seized the district of Khanabad, which connects Kunduz to Takhar and other northern provinces, with heavy fighting ongoing in several other districts.
Afghan officials in Kabul say a lack of ammunition and few reinforcements are the main reasons for the district’s fall to the Taliban, who are seeking to force the NATO-led coalition out of Afghanistan.
The fall of Khanabad comes only five days after the Taliban captured a district in neighbouring Baghlan province, seizing a number of government forces’ vehicles and ammunition.