By Usman Sharifi
Afghan forces have retaken the strategic northern city of Kunduz, but gunfights are continuing with Taliban militants.
Afghan forces, hindered by the slow arrival of reinforcements, but backed by NATO special forces and US air support, struggled to regain control of the city after three days of heavy fighting.
But on Thursday (local time), troops managed to reach the centre of Kunduz after an overnight counter-offensive.
Residents told AFP the streets were littered with Taliban bodies and that gun battles are still echoing in parts of the city.
"[Afghan] special forces now control Kunduz City, it is retaken and being cleared [of] terrorists," interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter, adding that the insurgents had suffered heavy casualties.
Deputy Interior Minister Ayoub Salangi said the city had been recaptured after a "special operation" overnight.
However, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid insisted: "This morning we have driven out Afghan forces from the city and the Taliban are still in control."
But an Afghan Taliban commander who spoke to AFP from an undisclosed location said Taliban fighters were retreating from Kunduz.
"The Taliban have almost vacated the main parts of the city, but let me make it clear that we have proved that we can take control of any other city whenever we want," he said.
Some scenes of jubilation erupted at dawn around the city square where local residents, who suffered three days of crippling food shortages, thanked government troops.
"Afghan soldiers took down the white-and-black Taliban flag in the city square and hoisted the government flag," Kunduz resident Abdul Rahman said.
"The Taliban suffered heavy casualties last night. Dead bodies are scattered on the streets, and their supporters are carrying them out of the city wrapped in white cloths."
Security officials said the militants had slowly infiltrated Kunduz during the recent Eid festival, launching a Trojan Horse attack that enabled them to capture it within hours on Monday.
Marauding insurgents seized government buildings, including jails, and freed hundreds of prisoners, raising their flag throughout Kunduz.
The lightning capture of the city sent thousands of panicked residents fleeing as insurgents erected checkpoints across the city and were seen racing vehicles stolen from the police, UN and Red Cross.
Militants, showing off seized tanks and armoured cars, had issued edicts against looting and vowed to enforce Islamic sharia law.
Rights group said the insurgents exposed civilians to grave danger by hiding in people's houses and conducting door-to-door searches for Afghan soldiers and government staff.
The Taliban's recent gains in Kunduz and neighbouring provinces highlight that a large and strategic patch of northern Afghanistan is imperilled by a rapidly expanding insurgency.
It is also seen as a game-changer for the fractious militant movement that has been dogged by a leadership crisis since the announcement in July of founder Mullah Omar's death.
"The Taliban know that they don't have the power to retain control of a big city like Kunduz," Kabul-based military analyst Atiqullah Amarkhil said.
"But their takeover, however temporary, shows they are a force to reckon with before any future peace negotiations."
Their 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.
It has also renewed questions about Washington's plan to withdraw most US troops from Afghanistan next year.
AFP
