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The Taliban has refused global calls for a ceasefire in Afghanistan as they urgently seek new territory.
They reportedly crossed the main northern city of Kunduz, as well as Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan. Fierce fighting continues in two more northern cities.
Five regional capitals have fallen to the militants since Friday, with Kunduz their main gain this year.
US and Afghan planes carried out airstrikes on the militants. Afghan officials say dozens of Taliban have been killed.
However, a Taliban spokesman warned against further US intervention while speaking to Al Jazeera TV on Sunday.
Violence has increased in Afghanistan after US and other international forces began withdrawing their troops from the country after 20 years of military operations.
Taliban militants have been advancing rapidly in recent weeks. Having captured large parts of the countryside, they are now targeting important towns and cities.
The three northern cities fell under the control of the Taliban within hours of each other on Sunday, and one resident in Kunduz described the situation as ‘total chaos’.
Videos posted on social media testified that Taliban fighters were inside the government buildings in Kunduz and Sar-e-Pul, although they could not be independently verified.
The Afghan government, meanwhile, said special forces were still fighting inside Kunduz.
A Taliban spokesman told the BBC they were now targeting Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province.
Heavy struggle has been recorded in the city, as well as in Mazar-e-Sharif, a trading center on the border with Uzbekistan.
On Monday morning, a loud noise was detected outside the police headquarters in the southern city of Lashkar Gah.
Residents there said about 20 civilians had been killed in the past two days and a school and a clinic had been destroyed in the fighting.
The seizure of Kunduz is the biggest gain for the Taliban since they launched their offensive in May. The city of 270,000 people is deemed a road to the country’s mineral-rich northern region.
And its position makes it critically important, as there are superhighways connecting Kunduz with other major cities, including Kabul, and the province sharing a border with Tajikistan.