Roundup: Afghan forces gain grounds, evict Taliban from 60 pct of Kunduz city

Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) on Sunday made fresh gains against Taliban militants in Kunduz city, capital of Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province, and have evicted the armed insurgents from some 60 percent of the city, officials said.

"The ANSF has cleared major parts of the city. Army and police forces made advances and wiped out militants' pockets in outer sides of the city overnight, killing and injuring dozens of terrorists," Brigadier General Ghulam Sakhi Ghafoori, a senior commander of Afghan Public Order Police Force, told Xinhua.

Huge quantity of arms and ammunitions have been found and confiscated while engineering teams of army have defused hundreds of roadside bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) since early Saturday, the official added. He stressed that around 60 percent of the city is fully controlled by security forces.

"The cleanup operation is going on. The latest operational information showed that more than 500 Taliban militants have been killed since the cleanup operations launched 10 days ago," Ghafoori said.

Dozens of security personnel and some 200 civilians have been killed and thousands others fled their houses to safer places since the fall of Kunduz city to the Taliban militants on Sept. 29 and eruption of fighting there, according to locals and officials.

Acting governor of Kunduz province, Hamdullah Daneshi, also reported recapturing major parts of the provincial capital Kunduz city 250 km north of Kabul and government forces have reestablished law and order in some 60 percent of the war-battered city.

According to Deneshi, sporadic fighting has been continuing in parts of the city and Taliban militants who have hidden in private houses would soon be killed or captured.

However, he said that the government forces have been moving carefully to protect the lives and properties of civilians.

"The Afghan soldiers and commandos described today (Sunday) as 'Kunduz liberation day' and the Taliban militants are kicked out from nearly 60 percent of the city," resident Mohammad Bezhan told Xinhua.

Despite the security forces' advancement in seizing major parts of Kunduz city, most of the shops and bakeries remain closed and the prices of basic needs are still high. Taliban militants are operating on the outskirts of the city and defending their hideouts, according to Xinhua reporter in Kunduz city.

Purported Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in contact with media has claimed that the Taliban fighters have been defending their positions in and outside Kunduz. Endi