Afghan Taliban enter Kunduz

Taliban fighters pushed into the centre of the northern Afghan city of Kunduz yesterday, taking control of the central intersection where they raised their flag a year earlier in their biggest success of the 15-year conflict.

Witnesses and police said that insurgents, who entered the city in the early hours of the morning, were attacking the governor's compound and police headquarters, while some officials were seen fleeing to the airport.

Footage posted by the Afghan Taliban on social media showed fighters in Kunduz, many wearing white headbands, describing how they had captured army strongpoints and taken prisoners during a day of fighting.

Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the footage. The fighters appear to have slipped through a defensive security line set up around Kunduz, entering the city itself from four directions before clashes broke out, witnesses said.

The assault on Kunduz came as the Taliban have stepped up attacks in different parts of Afghanistan, including in Helmand, where they have been threatening the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.

Yesterday, Taliban fighters, positioned just across the Helmand river from the centre of Lashkar Gah, also took control of Nawa district to the south, killing a district police chief, officials said.