Afghan forces battle the Taliban near Kunduz
The Taliban has captured a district close to the strategic Afghan city of Kunduz, nearly 15 years after they were defeated there by a US-led coalition.
The move against Khan Abad comes as the militant group continues to wage an increasingly violent insurgency in a bid to topple the government.
The district, which contains the town of Khan Abad, is about 30km (18 miles) from Kunduz, a centre of Taliban power before the US invasion in 2001.
The group retook Kunduz last summer but then withdrew, claiming it did not want civilians to be caught up in air attacks.
Khan Abad's governor Hayatullah Amiri said: "After several hours of fighting the militants overran the district."
Provincial spokesman Sayed Mahmood Danish said security forces were "trying to get back control of the district from the Taliban".
Resident Abdul Satar told AFP: "The residents of (Khan Abad) are worried about their lives and safety. People are fleeing their homes and they have left their shops."
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the group's fighters had taken control of the district and police headquarters.
Between January and June this year, 1,601 civilians have been killed and 3,565 wounded - an increase on the same period last year.
Deaths from the conflict are at their highest level since the UN began issuing reports in 2009.
Afghan troops are currently battling the Taliban in at least 15 of the country's 34 provinces,
Earlier this month, the group launched a major offensive in Helmand province, managing to surround the provincial capital Lashkar Gah.
Afghan troops, supported by US airstrikes, stopped the Taliban assault on Lashkar Gah but government security forces are stretched on multiple fronts across the country.
Lashkar Gah was the headquarters for British forces while they were taking part in coalition action in the country with UK troops taking part in several deadly missions to tackle militants.
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