Governor Claims Taliban Pushed Back From Kunduz City

The Governor of Afghanistan’s Kunduz province says Taliban forces which staged an assault on the provincial capital have been defeated. Asadullah Amarkhil said fighting in Kunduz city has stopped and there were large numbers of Taliban casualties. On Monday, Taliban fighters appeared to have breached the strategic northern city. But by late Monday, NATO forces and local police said they were back in control with additional troops, including special forces being flown in. The fighting came a day before a major conference in Brussels to raise funds to ensure Afghan stability. Kunduz was briefly captured by the Taliban in September 2015 in what was a major victory. After days of back-and-forth fighting, government forces, backed by NATO, had recaptured the city.