Afghan forces repel Taliban attack on Kunduz

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan: Afghan security forces on Tuesday repelled a fierce Taliban attack on Kunduz, a strategic city in northern Afghanistan that had briefly fallen to the militants twice in the past, officials said.

Taliban fighters attacked several government posts on the outskirts of the city at around 1:00 am, a defence ministry statement said, triggering fierce fighting.

“With the support of air force their attack was repelled,” it said, adding the fighting lasted for several hours. Both sides have clashed repeatedly in rural areas in recent months, but an attempt to enter a city as large as Kunduz is seen as a serious escalation.

The latest violence follows a declaration by President Ashraf Ghani last week to resume offensive strikes against the insurgents, after a string of brutal attacks.

The Taliban responded by vowing to increase assaults against Afghan security forces.

During Tuesday’s fighting, the insurgents managed to briefly capture an Afghan army post, killing one soldier, but it was quickly retaken by security forces, Hadi Jamal, an army spokesman in northern Afghanistan told AFP.

The defence ministry said 40 Taliban fighters were killed and 50 others wounded in the Kunduz assault. Afghan officials and Taliban frequently exaggerate claims of casualties.

In a separate incident, a bomb placed on a bicycle detonated near a market in the city, killing two civilians and wounding 18, Kunduz police said.

The Taliban briefly captured Kunduz, a strategic city not far from the Tajikistan border, twice before—in September 2015 and again a year later. An attempt last year failed.