Afghan forces recaptured parts of the northern city of Kunduz from Taliban fighters early Thursday after what officials described as heavy fighting.

Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker of the lower house of parliament, told reporters in Kabul that government forces were making advances in Kunduz, but did not specify whether they were in control of the city.

“Currently, fighting is taking place inside Kunduz and it is difficult to say which part is controlled by us (the government) and which part is still with the enemy,” Ibrahimi said. He added that “advances and retreat are part of war.”

Overnight offensive

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told VOA that Afghan forces launched an offensive overnight and that it was “very successful.”

“During the operation, hundreds of Taliban were killed by the Afghan security forces,” Sediqqi said. “Right now we are focusing to help civilians in Kunduz city and at the same time to make sure that the Taliban are not able to again create security troubles there.”

Residents in Kunduz told reporters earlier Thursday that Afghan security forces were in control of the city. 

But the Taliban, which had seized Kunduz on Monday, insisted its fighters were still in control.

Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan security forces briefly retook Kunduz but claimed they were beaten back and the city is again under Taliban control.

Thousands flee fighting

The United Nations said Wednesday the fighting in Kunduz, population 300,000, left more than 100 civilians dead or injured and forced 6,000 people to flee the city.

The response by Afghan forces was slowed by the inability of reinforcements to reach Kunduz because of Taliban roadblocks and landmines that led to clashes in neighboring Baghlan province.

But pro-government fighters have been aided by several airstrikes from U.S. warplanes, including one early Wednesday near the Kunduz city airport that came when coalition special forces encountered a threat from Taliban fighters.

Two other airstrikes took place on Tuesday. 

Afghanistan’s intelligence agency said one of the coalition airstrikes killed the Taliban’s shadow governor for Kunduz province along with 15 other people.

But the Taliban on Wednesday reported the governor, Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, was not killed in the strike. The militant group posted an audio interview apparently with the governor in which he dismissed reports about his death, according to the Taliban Voice of Jihad Online.

Ghani under fire

The Taliban capture of Kunduz during a surprise multipronged offensive marked the first time the insurgent group captured a major city since being ousted from power in 2001.

Protesters gathered Thursday in Kabul to demonstrate against what they said was the government’s failure to provide security to the citizens of Kunduz.  They also called for President Ashraf Ghani to step down.

Ghani, who marked one year in office on Tuesday, already faced criticism for failing to improve governance and security around the country or to counter widespread corruption in state institutions.

The fall of Kunduz, one of the largest cities in Afghanistan, is seen a major setback for government forces, which have been sorely tested this year, following the withdrawal at the end of 2014 of international combat troops.

Angry lawmakers in Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament called Wednesday for an investigation and accused the government of failing to prevent the attack on Kunduz despite knowing the Taliban was nearby.

Afghan spy agency chief Rahmatullah Nabil apologized to the chamber and the nation for what has taken place in Kunduz. He was summoned to appear along with Interior Minister Noorulhaq Olomi to explain the fall of the city.

Pakistan’s response

Pakistani officials rejected the Taliban’s takeover of Kunduz this week, calling it an illegal move.

“Afghanistan is run by a democratically elected and legitimate government and occupation of its territory by any group is unacceptable,” Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry told reporters Wednesday in New York.

The Afghan government has long accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and allowing its fighters and leaders to use Pakistani soil for planning attacks in Afghanistan, which Pakistan denies.

Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah said during an address at the United Nations on Monday that some of the Kunduz attackers had come from abroad and called on Pakistan to live up to a promise to crack down on known terror groups.

In his own U.N. speech Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said his government “unequivocally” condemns militant attacks in Afghanistan and will continue efforts to help resume peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

“We can, however, do so only if we receive the required cooperation from the Afghan government,” Sharif said. “Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan are in neither country’s interests.”

VOA’s Chris Hannas contributed to this report from Washington.
…