KUNDUZ: Afghan forces have started battling against Taliban fighters with the support of US military planes to retake Kunduz.
Intense fighting has been reported. President Ashraf Ghani said his forces had pushed back the insurgents from some government buildings.
The repulsion has started a day after the city fell to the insurgents considered to be their biggest victory since their removal from power in 2001.
The Taliban overran Kunduz on Monday, forcing government troops to retreat.
Kunduz is the first provincial capital seized by the Taliban since they lost power in the US-led invasion 14 years ago.
An eyewitness in Kunduz told the BBC that Taliban reinforcements arrived on Tuesday, with the situation too dangerous for locals to leave.
The Taliban’s new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, said the government should admit defeat.
Kunduz residents “should not be worried about their lives and property” and should “continue as normal”, he said in a statement.
Police said more than 80 militants had been killed, which could not be confirmed through independent source.
US military planes were supporting the Afghan operation, striking Taliban positions on the outskirts of the city, a Nato spokesman said.
The surprise attack on the key northern city came as President Ghani completed his first year in office.
