Taliban militants are reportedly advancing on the capital city of the northern Kunduz Province, sparking fears over the possible fall of the besieged city.

Media reports said on Sunday that Taliban militants were close to overrunning the provincial capital as they are now as close as three kilometers from Kunduz city.

The intensified fighting came after Taliban militants captured the Chardarah district, which is located on the edge of Kunduz city.

"The district has fallen to Taliban after hours of fierce fighting. Twelve Afghan forces have lost their lives and 17 have been wounded," media outlets quoted Chardarah district chief, Mohammad Yousuf Ayubi, as saying.

Meanwhile, Deputy Afghan army chief General Murad Ali Murad said nearly six dozen Afghan security personnel were surrounded by the  militants in the troubled region, adding, "We are going to start a military operation to retake the district on Sunday evening."

Security sources said the Afghan government was carrying reinforcements to the province on the border with Tajikistan.

Witnesses and local residents say civilians are bearing the brunt of a large-scale offensive by Taliban militants in Kunduz and its surroundings.

The ongoing violent battle between militants and government forces has forced terrified residents to flee the volatile region.

Analysts say the fall of a provincial capital would be a major setback for the Afghan government forces that have resisted militants on several fronts in recent months.

The militants have stepped up their terrorist attacks against the government as well as civilian targets since they launched the so-called spring offensive in late April.

Insecurity and violence continue to rock the country nearly 14 years after the United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.

JR/KA/SS