Taliban 'seize provincial HQ' in Afghan city of Kunduz
The Taliban say they have captured the provincial government headquarters in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, and are advancing on the airport.
Hundreds of militants stormed the strategic city before dawn and quickly seized key buildings.
The Taliban are also reported to have captured the city jail, freeing hundreds of prisoners.
The government says it has sent reinforcements to Kunduz and fighting is still going on.
Witnesses report the Taliban flag has been raised in the city centre.
If the city falls, it would be the first provincial capital to be taken by the Taliban since they lost power following the US-led invasion in 2001.
Kunduz is strategically important as it acts as a transport hub for the north of the country.
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It also has symbolic significance for the Taliban as it was their former northern stronghold before their government was overthrown 14 years ago.
"With the capturing of the police compound and governor's office in Kunduz, the whole province fell to our hands and our fighters are now advancing towards the airport," Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid said on his Twitter account.
Earlier, the government admitted that it had lost control of parts of the city. It said at least 25 militants and two Afghan policemen had been killed and that reinforcements had been sent to the city.
Analysis: Dawood Azami, BBC World Service
This attack is one of the most serious security breaches since the start of the Taliban insurgency 14 years ago. But the Taliban's main challenge will now be to hold the city.
Kunduz has a huge strategic significance as it is considered a gateway to Afghanistan's northern provinces and shares a border with Tajikistan, Afghanistan's Central Asian neighbour.
The Taliban already control huge chunks of the province's rural areas, where the majority of the population live. The insurgents have intensified their fighting in the province over the past two years.
They are the dominant militant group in the province, with an estimated 2,000 fighters. But there are also reportedly hundreds of foreign fighters associated with al-Qaeda, so-called Islamic State and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
The Afghan security forces are stretched thin as they deal with multiple attacks all over the country.
Bad governance in Kunduz is also a key problem. Incompetence and intimidation by some local officials have alienated many in the province.
Kunduz police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Husaini told the BBC's Mahfouz Zubaide that militants had captured the jail in Kunduz and freed about 500 prisoners, including members of the Taliban.
Many government officials are trying to flee via the city's heavily fortified airport.
Kunduz province has seen a number of attacks since April, with the Taliban joining forces with other insurgents.
Reports said the Taliban attacked the city from three sides at about dawn. A witness told Reuters news agency that by mid-afternoon they had raised their white flag in the city's main square, about 200m (218 yards) from the governor's compound.
Battles were raging in two districts close to the compound, the witness said.
Militant violence has increased across Afghanistan since the departure of most US and Nato forces last year.
On Sunday, a bomb attack on a sports ground in Paktika left nine dead and dozens injured. No group has said it carried out that attack.
Also on Sunday, 300 fighters allied to the so-called Islamic State attacked checkpoints in Nangarhar province.
Two policemen were reported killed in the assault, while local officials said 60 militants were killed.
Reuters
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