Over 32,000 people fleeing north Afghan city amid fighting, UN relief wing says

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that more than 32,000 people were fleeing Kunduz, a city in north Afghanistan, where fighting between armed groups and government forces entered its eight day on Monday.

Initial reports indicate that over 32,400 people have fled Kunduz and are arriving in Taloqan, Kabul, Pul-e-Khumri, Taloqan and Mazar-i-Sharif, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "This figure is likely to increase."

"People are in need of shelter, food, water, sanitation, hygiene, and medical support," he said.

Inside Kunduz, the humanitarian situation continues to be of concern -- water and electricity have been cut off for over a week and food supplies are scarce, he noted.

Taliban militants in a surprise move overran parts of the strategically important Kunduz city, the capital of the northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province, along the border with Tajikistan, on Oct. 3, forcing many families to leave the war zone for safer places.

The prolonged fighting has also claimed countless civilian lives over the past eight days and government forces have yet to recapture the key city in the northern region.

Taliban militants have escalated operations over the past couple of months and fierce fighting has been continuing in Kunduz, Farah and Helmand provinces. Endit