NATO aids Afghan army in battle for Kunduz

KUNDUZ CITY:

Nato said on Wednesday that its special forces joined Afghan troops in Kunduz to try to push back Taliban insurgents who seized the city, repelled a counter-offensive and advanced on the airport to shore up their biggest victory in 14 years.

Heavy fighting was underway near the northern city’s airport, where government forces are holed up, highlighting the potent challenge the militants pose after their lightning capture of Kunduz. The Taliban also captured the military hilltop of Bala Hisar on Wednesday, tightening their grip on Kunduz and leaving all but the airport under the control of Afghan forces.

The Taliban’s occupation – now in its third day – raises troubling questions about the capabilities of Afghan forces as they battle the militants largely on their own after Nato’s combat mission ended last December.

“The Taliban have laid landmines and booby traps around Kunduz, slowing the movement of convoys of Afghan army reinforcements driving to the city,” an Afghan security official said.

Nato said that the foreign special forces had reached Kunduz and US forces had conducted three air strikes around the city since Tuesday to support the Afghan troops. The forces are comprised of US, British and German troops, a Western military source told AFP on condition of anonymity, without specifying the number.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2015.