About 5,000 Afghan families have fled their homes in Kunduz after days of fighting between Taliban fighters and government forces, officials said on Saturday, as the deadline looms for US-led troops to withdraw.

Heavy fighting has also been reported in the provinces of Kandahar and Baghlan, where the Afghan forces claimed to have retaken areas from Taliban control but the armed group still held on to parts of Pul-e-Khumri area in central Baghlan, according to local media.

The Taliban has taken control of dozens of districts since U.S.-led NATO foreign forces started their final withdrawal in May.

The Afghan group, which has been waging an armed rebellion since it was toppled from power in a 2001 U.S.-led invasion, continues to surround Kunduz city.

According to al Jazeera, the Taliban briefly seized the city twice in recent years but has now captured the surrounding districts and a nearby border crossing with Tajikistan.