This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/world/asia/taliban-fighters-enter-city-of-kunduz-in-northern-afghanistan.html

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Taliban Fighters Enter City of Kunduz in Northern Afghanistan Taliban Fighters in Afghanistan Come Close to Taking Kunduz
(about 4 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban fighters have launched their second assault this year on Kunduz, an important provincial capital in northern Afghanistan, this time entering the city and raising their flag in at least one neighborhood, officials and residents said on Monday. KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban were close to overrunning a major Afghan city for the first time in years on Monday, as their fighters took control of several government buildings in Kunduz, an important provincial capital in the north, and raised their flag in at least one neighborhood, officials and residents said.
The offensive is the first time the Taliban have overrun part of a major city during this year’s fighting season as they try to carve out more territory in the north. The offensive was the second time this year that the insurgents have made a run for Kunduz in an effort to carve out more territory in the north and take a major city, which would be a huge blow to the struggling government of President Ashraf Ghani. The Afghan security forces, largely on their own this year, have been stretched thin across the country as they try to fend off Taliban assaults in several provinces.
The militants raised their flag in the neighborhood of Zakhel, according to a senior Afghan official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media. A doctor at the city’s main hospital, in the Seh Darak neighborhood, said that the insurgents had reached the hospital’s gates early Monday morning, but that they left after taking photos, apparently as proof that they had been there. Offices, schools and most of the roads out of Kunduz remained closed on Monday, with the Taliban setting up checkpoints on some roads. On Twitter, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, urged Kunduz residents to stay in their homes until the fighting was over. Still, families were seen fleeing the city via a thoroughfare that bypasses the airport, which remained open.
Government offices and schools in Kunduz, which is the capital of Kunduz Province, were closed on Monday because of the offensive. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, on Twitter urged Kunduz residents to stay in their homes until the fighting was over. By early afternoon, the militants had taken control of several government buildings, including the compound of the provincial council, and the Departments of Agricultural and Rural Development, according to Amruddin Wali, the deputy head of the provincial council. Small groups of Taliban fighters could be seen in the west of the city walking around freely and interacting with residents.
Abdullah Khan, a mechanic in Zakhel, said the Taliban fighters arrived in the neighborhood soon after midnight on Monday and met with little resistance from security forces. “It was around 7 a.m. when six or seven Taliban fighters raised their flag in the main roundabout and people started fleeing,” Mr. Khan said. As government reinforcements were rushed to the city, some of the heaviest fighting was focused around the central prison, where roughly 500 inmates were being held, including Taliban prisoners. Most of the senior Taliban prisoners, however, had been relocated to Kabul, the national capital, officials said.
Afghan security officials said on Monday that the fighting was still continuing in parts of the city and that army reinforcements were on the way. Col. Abdul Qahar, an Afghan Army spokesman, said commando units and regular units had been dispatched to Kunduz, and that air support was being prepared from Kabul. Col. Abdul Qahar, a spokesman for the Afghan Army in the north, said that commando units and regular units had been sent to Kunduz and that air support was being prepared in Kabul.
Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, a spokesman for the Kunduz police, said 20 Taliban had been killed so far in the fighting, and that four members of the Afghan security forces had been wounded. Sher Mohamed Sharqi, the commander of a 150-member pro-government militia in the suburbs of Kunduz, said that his men had rushed to the city the previous night to help the police, but that the Taliban had 10 of them surrounded.
“The Taliban attacked from several directions, from alleys and back alleys,” Mr. Hussaini said. “They haven’t taken over specific swaths, but they are present in some areas and streets.” “If we don’t get reinforcement tonight, the Taliban will take over control of the city,” Mr. Sharqi said.
Kunduz Province has been volatile in recent years, and much of it is under Taliban control. In April, the militants mounted a fierce offensive on the provincial capital, taking a number of suburbs but failing to enter the city itself. To push back that assault, the central government, whose forces have been stretched thin as it deals with major offensives in several provinces, resorted to the use of pro-government militias, a controversial move because of their history of abusing local residents. The assault on Kunduz began soon after dawn, as militants attacked from three directions, said Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, a spokesman for the Kunduz police. By the time residents woke, the Taliban had raised their flag in the neighborhood of Zakhel and had reached the central hospital in the neighborhood of Seh Darak.
Mohammad Yousuf Ayoubi, head of the Kunduz provincial council, said no permanent measures had been taken since the last assault to protect Kunduz. He said 70 percent of the province remained under Taliban control. A doctor in the hospital said that after searching room to room for wounded members of the Afghan security forces, the insurgents posed for photographs, apparently as proof that they had been there, and left.
Abdullah Khan, a resident of Zakhel who works as a mechanic, said the militants had faced little resistance there.
“It was around 7 a.m. when six or seven Taliban fighters raised their flag in the main roundabout and people started fleeing,” Mr. Khan said.
Kunduz Province has been volatile in recent years, and much of it is under Taliban control. In April, the militants mounted a fierce offensive on the provincial capital, taking a number of suburbs but failing to enter the city itself. To push back that assault, the central government resorted to the use of pro-government militias, a controversial move because of their history of abusing local residents.
As the Taliban made their second run, it remained unclear whether the ease with which they had been able to capture parts of the city was due to their strength or the government’s failure to learn from the previous assault. Mohammad Yousuf Ayoubi, the head of the Kunduz provincial council, said no permanent measures had been taken since the last attack to protect Kunduz, even though it was clear the Taliban had been amassing at the gates for months. He said 70 percent of the province was under Taliban control.
“The central government is neglecting Kunduz and its people,” Mr. Ayoubi said. “The local officials are incompetent, which is a major reason for the presence of the Taliban.”“The central government is neglecting Kunduz and its people,” Mr. Ayoubi said. “The local officials are incompetent, which is a major reason for the presence of the Taliban.”