Heavy fighting is continuing in the
Afghan city of Kunduz, one day after government forces launched an
attack to reclaim it from the Taliban.
Two US air strikes on Tuesday halted an attempt by insurgents to seize the airport, the army's stronghold.
Afghanistan's
spy agency says the strikes killed the Taliban leader in the province
and his deputy, but the Taliban has denied this.
The capture of Kunduz represents the militants' biggest victory since 2001.
On
Tuesday the United States acknowledged the seizure of Kunduz as a
setback, but says it remains confident that Afghan security forces can
re-take the northern city.
Overnight there were clashes around the
city, but it remains unclear just how much of it remains under
government or Taliban control.
Read more on the battle for Kunduz
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Sayed
Sarwar Hussaini, a spokesman for Kunduz's police chief, told Reuters:
"Hundreds of Taliban are killed and their dead bodies are on (the)
streets."
The Afghan defence ministry claimed the town's police
headquarters and prison had been recaptured, after militants released
hundreds of prisoners when they took the city on Monday.
But
Taliban-released video showed militants in the town showing off seized
tanks, armoured vehicles, police cars and Red Cross vans.
An eyewitness told the BBC that Taliban reinforcements had also arrived, with the situation too dangerous for locals to leave.
Residents,
nervous of both the Taliban and the possibility of street-fighting in
the battle for the city, are largely staying indoors.
The Taliban's new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, said the government should admit defeat.
President
Ashraf Ghani, who completed his first year in office on Tuesday, said
in a televised address that "progress" was being made recapturing
Kunduz, but security forces had been hampered by the Taliban using
civilians as human shields.
Image copyrightAPImage caption
Taliban fighters seized UN and Red Cross cars, along with police and military vehicles
The assault on Monday was swift and took Afghan forces by surprise.
As
darkness fell, heavily armed fighters crossed fields to attack the city
from multiple directions. They quickly overwhelmed several of the
police checkpoints defending the perimeter of the town.
They then
captured key buildings, freed about 500 prisoners from the city's jail
and forced officials and troops to retreat to the airport.
Kunduz province has seen a number of attacks since April, with the Taliban joining forces with other insurgents.
Nato
ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in December, withdrawing most
of its troops, apart from a 13,000-strong residual force used for
training and counter-terrorism operations.
Militant violence has increased across Afghanistan since the departure of most Western forces.
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Officials said thousands of special forces were preparing to retake the city
Are you in Kunduz? Have you been affected by the violence in Afghanistan? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
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