The Taliban has launched a fresh attack in Aghanistan’s Kunduz, the government said on Saturday. The attack comes as Taliban reiterated its demand for complete withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.
The Taliban launched a new attack on Kunduz, one of the largest cities in Afghanistan. Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, the spokesman for the provincial police chief, said that the Taliban attacked several parts of the city overnight. “I can confirm that intense gun battles are going on around the city, but the Taliban have not been able to overrun any security checkpoint,” he added. He further said that reinforcement has reached the city and Afghan air forces are providing support to the ground forces.
Presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi averred that the security forces are trying to put an end to the attack in some parts of the city. “As always the Taliban have taken positions in civilian areas,” he said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called the latest attack on Kunduz “large-scale”. The insurgent group has been negotiating with the United States on the presence of American troops in Afghanistan. While the insurgent group wants all foreign forces to leave the country, the US has stated that it will continue to have a presence in Afghanistan. The US military troops in Afghanistan train security forces in the fight against Taliban and the Islamic State group.
Both the sides recently indicated that there are close to finalizing a deal. The United States wants assurance that Afghanistan’s territory won’t be used as launching pad for terrorist attacks such as the brutal September 11 attack. The Taliban government had harboured al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Many in Afghanistan are apprehensive about the departure of US military troops, which can leave the territory vulnerable to further terrorist attacks.
