Afghan forces regain control of Kunduz center after Taliban assault

The Afghanistan police said that the forces on Tuesday regained control of the center of the strategically important northern city of Kunduz from Taliban fighters, who have launched an assault on the city a day before to capture it.

Mahfoz Akhbari, a spokesman for the chief of Kunduz Police, was quoted by CNN, as saying that battles are continuing in and around the city where Taliban fighters were using civilian homes to launch attacks.

Akhbari said that 40 Taliban fighters have been killed.

Fatima Aziz, a member of the Afghan parliament from Kunduz, said the security situation Tuesday morning was still "very bad" and claimed that many residents had no electricity or water.

"They [Taliban] are coming into people's houses all of the night, they want a place to stay under the house. They are taking food from families," she said.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Sediq Sediqi said Tuesday that more than 100 Special Forces had been deployed to clear Kunduz of Taliban militants in an operation that was still ongoing.