After seeing so much enthusiasm of Pakistanis in this thread,I hate to break this "Merry mood"..
Afghan forces launch bid to retake Kunduz from Taliban
Afghan forces have begun an operation to retake the city of Kunduz, which was seized by the Taliban on Monday.
Security forces have cleared the area around the central prison and the police headquarters, police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hossini said.
A day earlier, troops and officials retreated to the airport after militants overran the northern city and freed hundreds from jail.
The attack came as President Ashraf Ghani completed a year in office.
It was one of the most significant militant assaults in years and will pile pressure on Mr Ghani's unity government - Kunduz is the first provincial capital seized by the Taliban since they lost power in the US-led invasion in 2001.
But the BBC's Dawood Azami says their main challenge will now be to hold the city.
There were few signs of fighting overnight and the city remained without power, BBC Afghan learned.
Afghan forces launch bid to retake Kunduz from Taliban - BBC News
Afghan forces mobilise for Kunduz counteroffensive
Afghanistan has mobilised military reinforcements for a counteroffensive to take back Kunduz, a day after Taliban fighters overran the
strategic northern city in their biggest victory since being toppled from power in 2001.
Afghan security forces have retreated to the outlying airport, leaving the Taliban effectively in control of Kunduz after they stormed the city, capturing government buildings and freeing hundreds of prisoners.
Scores of unidentified bodies littered the streets after hours of heavy fighting on Monday, according to local residents, many of whom were making a hasty exit from Kunduz, some by road while others headed to the airport.
Ayoub Salangi, Afghan deputy interior minister, said security forces were ready to retake the city and pledged to investigate how the Taliban managed to seize a major urban centre for the first time in 14 years.
The fall of the provincial capital, which has sent panicked residents fleeing, has dealt a major blow to the country's NATO-trained security forces and highlighted the insurgency's potential to expand beyond its rural strongholds.
Ghani's anniversary
The development also coincides with the first anniversary of President Ashraf Ghani's national unity government coming to power, as it struggles to contain the insurgency.
It will, furthermore, boost the image of new Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor within insurgent ranks as he seeks to drive attention away from internal rifts over his leadership.
"Yes, the enemy is in the city and they have taken over the prison and other buildings, but reinforcements are being deployed and the city will be taken back," Sediq Sediqqi, interior ministry spokesman, told AFP news agency on Monday.
Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, posted a triumphant picture on Twitter purportedly showing fighters raising the group's trademark white flag at a roundabout in the city centre.
The Taliban also stormed the local jail, freeing hundreds of prisoners including some Taliban commanders, officials said.
The Taliban's incursion into Kunduz barely nine months after the NATO combat mission concluded raises troubling questions over the capacity of Afghan forces as they battle the fighters largely on their own.
Kunduz province, which borders Tajikistan and is a major transport hub for the north of the country, could offer the Taliban a critical new base of operations beyond their traditional southern strongholds.
In a statement released on Monday, Mansoor congratulated his cadres over the "major victory".
Before Monday's incursion, the Taliban made two attempts this year to capture Kunduz city, which has encircled by the fighters for around a year now.
Fault Lines: Taliban Country
"As fighting rages in Kunduz, all sides must ensure that civilians and civilian objects are protected according to international humanitarian law," Amnesty International, the human-rights organisation, said in a statement.
"Reports that the Taliban have already sent armed fighters into a public provincial hospital are extremely worrying."
The Taliban has been largely absent from Afghan cities since being driven from power by the US and its allies, but has maintained rule over swathes of the countryside.
The Taliban has been waging an insurgency since a US-led invasion removed them from power in late 2001.
Kunduz was the last Taliban stronghold in northern Afghanistan then.
The fighters have stepped up attacks, starting with an offensive launched in late April against the internationally recognised government in Kabul.
Source: Agencies
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres says it is
treating more than 100 people wounded in heavy fighting and its facility in the city is now full.
Kunduz is strategically important as a transport hub for the north of the country.
The significance of Kunduz
The insurgents attack began at dawn on Monday as fighters fell upon the city from different directions. They captured key buildings and freed about 500 prisoners, including members of the Taliban, from the jail.
Taliban overrun Kunduz - in pictures
Electricity and phone networks went down across the city and eventually officials and troops retreated to the airport. Dozens of civilians who fled to the airport were reportedly turned away by security forces.
Defending the military's performance on Monday, the Afghan army's Deputy Chief of Staff, Murad Ali Murad, suggested government forces withdrew to avoid civilian casualties.
"Our forces arrived there on time, but we had to take extra care not to cause civilian casualties," he said.
Kunduz province has seen a number of attacks since April, with the Taliban joining forces with other insurgents.
Militant violence has increased across Afghanistan since the departure of most US and Nato forces last year.
The few thousand Nato troops that remain are mostly just training and advising Afghan forces, although US drones still target militant leaders.
Afghan forces mobilise for Kunduz counteroffensive - Al Jazeera English
Don't want to sound too critical,but Afghanistan is a War ridden country,so similar incidents will happen.But what about Pakistan,where Militants ran so massive parts of country for so long..never saw Pakistanis criticizing their army and establishment and tagging it as "Failure"..
You guys should concentrate more about your own country.within couple of days this terrorists will get kicked out and celebration will end.
