Shocking everyone when it fell to the Taliban in 2015, the city of
Kunduz has repeatedly been contested since then, with the Afghan
government desperately trying to keep a strategically vital northern
city under control.
This weekend, the battle for Kunduz started again, with Taliban forces carrying out a series of pushes from different fronts in the area, with an eye toward again seizing Kunduz. 8 have been killed, 62 wounded, and hundreds on the city’s outskirts have fled.
The Taliban claimed a much higher number of casualties inflicted than
officials would admit to. This is not uncommon, but either way, the
offensive is continuing and the Afghan government is likely to have to
scramble reinforcements to keep the city falling once again.
Located in the far north of Afghanistan, Kunduz was for much of the war
considered one of those cities most safely out of the Taliban’s sphere
of influence. This is no longer the case of anywhere in Afghanistan, and
with the Taliban continuing to mass gains, retaking this major city
would be just another opportunity to underscore how poorly the war is
going.
Taliban Launch Another Offensive Against Key North Afghan City
Eight killed, hundreds flee as Taliban moves against Kunduz
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
Join the Discussion!
We welcome thoughtful and respectful comments. Hateful language, illegal content, or attacks against Antiwar.com will be removed.
For more details, please see our Comment Policy.
