Afghan forces retake control of Kunduz from Taliban
Afghan forces retook control of Kunduz after a three-day Taliban occupation
Afghan forces retook control of the strategic northern city of Kunduz on Thursday after a three-day Taliban occupation that dealt a stinging blow to the country’s NATO-trained military.
The fall of the provincial capital, even temporarily, highlights the stubborn insurgency’s potential to expand beyond its rural strongholds in the south of the country.
Afghan forces, hindered by a slow arrival of reinforcements but backed by limited U.S. air support, struggled to regain control of the city after three days of heavy fighting.
But on Thursday Afghan forces managed to reach the centre of Kunduz where the streets were littered with Taliban bodies, Kunduz residents told AFP, adding that fighting was still ongoing in parts of the city.
“(Afghan) special forces now control Kunduz City, it is retaken and being cleared (of) terrorists, heavy caU.S.ality to the enemy,” interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter

Deputy Interior Minister Ayoub Salangi said the city had been recaptured after a “special operation” overnight.
Local residents reported deafening overnight bombardments, adding that the Taliban were still resisting Afghan forces in some parts of the city.
“Afghan soldiers took down the white-and-black Taliban flag in the city square and hoisted the government flag,” Kunduz resident Abdul Rahman told AFP.
The stunning fall of the city sent thousands of panicked residents fleeing as insurgents erected checkpoints across the city and were seen racing stolen police, U.N. and Red Cross vehicles.
The Taliban incursion into Kunduz, barely nine months after the NATO combat mission concluded, raised troubling questions about the capabilities of Afghan forces as they battle the militants largely on their own.
-
Afghan forces fight to retake Kunduz from Taliban
Afghan forces backed by U.S. air support battled Taliban fighters for control of the northern city of Kunduz Gulf -
Afghan Taliban seize much of northern city center in major attack
Three-pronged surprise attack began at city entrances Gulf -
Attack on Afghan soccer match kills 9, wounds over 50
The explosion was caused by either a car or motorcycle bomb, targeting local government officials at the match Gulf -
‘ISIS fighters’ attack Afghan police posts
ISIS has been trying to establish itself in Afghanistan and challenging the Taliban on their own turf Gulf -
Afghan Taliban say ‘no peace’ until foreign troops leave
Mullah Mansour, Taliban’s new leader, made the demand in his first message marking the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha Gulf -
Taliban’s Mullah Omar died of natural causes in Afghanistan, son says
Mullah Omar, founder of the Afghan Taliban, died of natural causes in Afghanistan, his son said in a statement Asia -
Hundreds of prisoners escape as Afghan Taliban storm jail
Taliban insurgents stormed a prison in the central Afghan city of Ghazni, killing police and releasing hundreds of prisoners Asia -
‘ISIS’ militants claim attack on Pakistan-Afghan border post
Several militant groups of the Pakistani Taliban pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader Asia