Taliban 'seize provincial HQ' in Afghan city of Kunduz

[Imran Khan]

the bad news is now taliban will took all the money from banks and took all gov wealth and transport weapons and everything this make them hell strong .

 

[In arduis fidelis]

I doubt they will be able to free the city without ISAF support.

 

[WaLeEdK2]

NATO and the U.S. failed miserably in Afganistan. The most sophisticated military equipment being used for 10+ years couldn't stop them.

 

[Gazi]

This is terrible news for Afghanistan. They are currently got their hands full in North how would they be able to defend themselves in South which are way more Troubled and hot beds of Taliban Insurgency. I think this act would only going to strengthen the idea of US to stay in Afghanistan for a long time or handover Afghanistan to some other regional Players like Iran, Pakistan and CARs to handle things in a collaborative way because Afghans doesnt seems to handle things on their own right now.

 

[Gazi]

This is the equivalent of the fall of Mosul in Iraq.

Dont know what to believe but these picture is telling a story of Mosul no doubt.

https://twitter.com/x/status/648520806960656384

 

[pakistani342]

he Taliban say they have captured the provincial government headquarters in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, and are advancing on the airport.
Hundreds of militants stormed the strategic city before dawn and quickly seized key buildings.

The Taliban are also reported to have captured the city jail, freeing hundreds of prisoners.

The government says it has sent reinforcements to Kunduz and fighting is still going on.

The attack came a day before the first anniversary of President Ashraf Ghani's unity government. If the city falls, it would be the first provincial capital taken by the Taliban since they lost power in the US-led invasion of 2001.

Kunduz is strategically important as it acts as a transport hub for the north of the country.

It also has symbolic significance for the Taliban as it was their former northern stronghold before their government was overthrown.

"With the capturing of the police compound and governor's office in Kunduz, the whole province fell to our hands and our fighters are now advancing towards the airport," Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid said on his Twitter account.

A picture on the same account purportedly showed fighters at a roundabout in the city centre raising the Taliban's white flag.

Earlier, the government admitted that it had lost control of parts of the city. It said at least 25 militants and two Afghan policemen had been killed and that reinforcements had been sent to the city.

Analysis: Dawood Azami, BBC World Service
This attack is one of the most serious security breaches since the start of the Taliban insurgency 14 years ago. But the Taliban's main challenge will now be to hold the city.

Kunduz has a huge strategic significance as it is considered a gateway to Afghanistan's northern provinces and shares a border with Tajikistan, Afghanistan's Central Asian neighbour.

The Taliban already control huge chunks of the province's rural areas, where the majority of the population live. The insurgents have intensified their fighting in the province over the past two years.

They are the dominant militant group in the province, with an estimated 2,000 fighters. But there are also reportedly hundreds of foreign fighters associated with al-Qaeda, so-called Islamic State and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

The Afghan security forces are stretched thin as they deal with multiple attacks all over the country.

Bad governance in Kunduz is also a key problem. Incompetence and intimidation by some local officials have alienated many in the province.

Kunduz police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Husaini told the BBC's Mahfouz Zubaide that militants had captured the jail in Kunduz and freed about 500 prisoners, including members of the Taliban.

Many government officials are trying to flee via the city's heavily fortified airport.

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.

On Sunday, a bomb attack on a sports ground in Paktika left nine dead and dozens injured. No group has said it carried out that attack.

Also on Sunday, 300 fighters allied to the so-called Islamic State attacked checkpoints in Nangarhar province.

Two policemen were reported killed in the assault, while local officials said 60 militants were killed.

Taliban 'seize provincial HQ' in Afghan city of Kunduz - BBC News

I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but I wonder if this is deliberate by the Afghan government to make sure the dollars keep flowing by causing alarm in Washington.

If indeed the fall is genuine, even a temporary one, then the situation is indeed bad.

There are also rumors of Ghani's ill health -- he's been missing in action lately - he's given some interviews and been present at Eid but other than that has been largely absent. His charisma seems to have dimmed considerably.

 

[mike2000 is back]

I failed state failing even more?? No surprise there, the opposite would have been a surprised.
Keep doing what you do best:Killing each other.

 

[The Vicious Kind]

Unfortunately , Ghani saab is too busy in NewYork demonizing Pakistan and his ministers are too busy championing their imaginary claim on durand line , they fail to see that they just lost the 5th largest afghan city to the taliban and that too in the northern regions.
Whats the plan here ?, is the afghan gov. gonna continue lamenting and raising the durand line issue , wasting its time while taliban take more territories . Or are they gonna accept the hard facts , sit down with Pak gov and draw out a peace plan.

 

[pakistani342]

the bad news is now taliban will took all the money from banks and took all gov wealth and transport weapons and everything this make them hell strong .

Actually yes ... that is how the ISIS generated a lot of money by looting banks.

I just hope Pakistan beefs up its internal security -- fortunes can change -- this havoc could come Pakistan's way too.

.

 

[Musafir117]

Afghanistan is a cursed land and it will never stop they continue kill each other, Pakistan need to check and strict the border security as this new wave of madness could bring another wave of refugee, no more guests please. Let them kill each other forever.

 

[karan.1970]

I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but I wonder if this is deliberate by the Afghan government to make sure the dollars keep flowing by causing alarm in Washington.

If indeed the fall is genuine, even a temporary one, then the situation is indeed bad.

There are also rumors of Ghani's ill health -- he's been missing in action lately - he's given some interviews and been present at Eid but other than that has been largely absent. His charisma seems to have dimmed considerably.

Mark my words.. Karzai is going to be back.......

 

[Peaceful Civilian]

this was expected but still i hate this and i hate taliban

What those backward mentality people want now? Useless fight.
They should work for progress, Research & development and for humanity instead of wasting energy like this.

 

[Imran Khan]

What those backward mentality people want now? Useless fight.
They should work for progress, Research & development and for humanity instead of wasting energy like this.

jihad qayamat tak jari rahy ga

 

[lastofthepatriots]

Pretty symbolic victory for the Taliban since the Kunduz Airlift.

 

[AUz]

The opposition melted away in the face of a terrorist advance and Ashraf Ghani was too busy deciding the parameters of Pak-Afghan relationship. We had been warning the Afghans that they were not acting against terrorists congregating in Kunnar, Nuristan and Badaskshan in general and that they might soon have their hands full. Now that has come to pass.

Are TTP elements involved in this attack as well?

Does Pakistan Military regard Afghan Taliban as "terrorists" as well?