KABUL, 23 June 2021, (TON): Taliban fighters took control of a key district in Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province and encircled the provincial capital, police said, as the insurgent group added to its string of recent victories on the battlefield.

Inamuddin Rahmani, provincial police spokesman, said “fighting around Imam Sahib district began late on Sunday and by mid-day the Taliban had overrun the district headquarters and were in control of police headquarters.

Taliban were within a kilometre of Kunduz, the provincial capital but had not entered into the city, he said, although there were reports of small bands of Taliban near the outskirts and residents trying to leave for Kabul.

Dozens of districts have fallen to the Taliban since May 1, when US and Nato troops began their final departure from Afghanistan. Like Imam Sahib district in northern Kunduz, their significance often lies in their proximity to roads and major cities.

Imam Sahib is strategically located near Afghanistan’s northern border with Tajikistan, a key supply route from Central Asia.