Afghan forces push into Taliban-held city Kunduz

Afghan government forces have entered the northern city of Kunduz to try to eject Taliban fighters who had taken over the strategic city earlier this week.

Even though officials said earlier that Afghan forces had retaken the city, fighting appeared to continue into Thursday. The Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Thursday it was still in Taliban hands, and residents reported hearing gunshots and explosions, according to the Associated Press.

The Interior Ministry said the government operation was launched late Wednesday with ground forces moving in from the airport, where they had hunkered down after the Taliban took over on Monday.

The province of Kunduz is at a crossroads of Tajikistan to the north and other Afghan cities including the capital Kabul to the south.

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