Police District 2 of Pul-e-Khumri city, capital of the northern province of Baghlan, fell to the Taliban on Wednesday night and the group has tightened its ring of control around the city, said residents and officials.

PD2 is in the northeastern part of Pul-e-Khumri and is about 4 km from the center of the city. 

Police special forces, commandos, police, and army are based in the city and are fighting the Taliban. Local security officials said Afghan forces pushed back several Taliban attacks on the city Wednesday night. 

“We are ready! The people of Baghlan can be sure that we are ready and will defend the city at any cost,” said Shir Shah, an officer of the special police unit. 

Dozens of civilians have been displaced amid ongoing clashes in Pul-e-Khumri. 

“The houses were destroyed….. this is the situation,” said Ghulaam Mohammad, a civilian who was wounded following Wednesday night’s clashes and is now being treated at a government hospital in the city. 

TOLOnews' Sharif Amiry, who is in Pul-e-Khumri,  said that people have been displaced from various parts of Baghlan. 

“We have left our home and whatever we had because of the war,” said Yar Murad, a displaced person, adding: You can see our children--and we are faced with the problem here--in our area is the war.” 

“The people are wounded and there is no police chief and no governor,” said Mohammad Alem, a resident of Pul-e-Khumri. 

Dahna-e-Ghori, Burka, Nahrin, Jalga, Baghlan-e-Markzai, Doshi and Khenjan districts of Baghlan fell to the Taliban in the past two weeks, according to local officials and sources.