TALUQAN, Afghanistan -- Taliban militants have captured Warsaj district, the last bastion of the Afghan government in northern Takhar province and further consolidated their position in the northern region, an elder of the district Hajji Abdul Malik said Saturday.

"Warsaj district collapsed to the Taliban fighters on Friday evening and the security forces based there retreated to Panjshir province," Malik told Xinhua.

The Afghan government has yet to make comments.

Taliban militants, with capturing Warsaj district, have completed its grip on northern Takhar province.

In addition, the armed group, which captured 17 provinces over the past nine days, have been fighting to overrun northern Balkh provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif and Faryab's provincial capital Maimana to complete its grasp in Afghanistan's northern provinces.