10 May 2017

News Story: Kunduz Battle Enters Third Day, MPs Criticize War Leadership

By Tamim Hamid

The battle between Afghan security forces and the Taliban on the outskirts of Kunduz city is now in its third day and has both residents and MPs concerned.

Clashes are also ongoing along the Kunduz-Khanabad highway while Qala-e-Zal, a district of the city, that fell to the Taliban on Saturday, has still not been retaken by the Afghan army.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) officials however said they are trying to push back the Taliban from the area.

“The fight is in Qala-e-Zal district and we are committed to clearing the district of Taliban,” Mohammad Radmanesh, MoD deputy spokesman said.

Meanwhile, a number of soldiers fighting insurgents on the Kunduz-Khanabad highway told TOLOnews over the phone that they are dealing with a shortage of ammunition and criticized government for not ensuring they had adequate military supplies.

The soldiers also said Qala-e-Zal district fell to the Taliban as they had not been given enough support.

“We have been told for three or four days that supplies have been sent to us but until now we have received nothing,” said Rahimullah, an officer of the Afghan National Army.

Read the full story at TOLOnews