Afghan forces backed by US air support battled Taliban fighters for control of the northern city of Kunduz yesterday, after the milit-ants seized a provincial capital for the first time since being removed 14 years ago.
The sudden fall of Kunduz on Monday was a major setback for the government of President Ashraf Ghani, which marked its first year in power yesterday, and raised questions over how ready Afghan forces were to tackle the Islamist insurgency alone.
Ghani announced in a televised address that more reinforcements were on their way to regain the city, which he said had fallen partly because government forces had shown restraint to avoid civilian casualties.
“The government is respons-ible, and cannot and will not bomb its own citizens.”
Supply lines to Kunduz city had been interrupted by fight-ing in surrounding areas, according to Western and Afghan security officials.
To the south, clashes in Baghlan province closed a main route from the capital Kabul, while one convoy carrying security personnel was ambushed by Taliban insurgents.
Further afield, and independent of the action around Kunduz, fighting broke out in Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan.
The sudden fall of Kunduz was a major setback
At least 30 insurgents claiming loyalty to Islamic State were killed when militants attacked police checkpoints in Achin district, said Nangarhar police spokesman Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal. An official said four security personnel had also died.
Several small groups have broken away from the Taliban to follow Islamic State, which secur-ity experts fear will seek to exploit any divisions in the dominant Afghan militant movement.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said one reason for the assault on Kunduz was to prove that the group was still united after the appointment of a new leader in July had angered many key figures.
Earlier in the day, the government said its forces had regained the Kunduz city prison and provincial police headquarters, which were overrun on Monday night, but the Taliban quickly refuted the claim.
More than 100 Taliban fighters were among the 600 prisoners who escaped during the jail attack, National Directorate of Security chief Rahmatullah Nabil told reporters yesterday.
Colonel Brian Tribus, a spokesman for the NATO-led coalition, denied reports later in the day that there had been civilian casualties in the air strike.