The Taliban have launched an assault on the northern Afghan city of Kunduz last night, as fighters broke a defensive perimeter
Afghan government officials claimed to have repelled the attack but admitted that Taliban militants had entered several homes, as they attacked from four different sides of the city at midnight.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced on his official Twitter account that the group had capture several military checkpoints in a “massive operation”.
"We are hearing from government officials that Taliban actually said they entered Kunduz city because they were unhappy with Afghan Special Forces activities in two different districts in Kunduz, where the Afghan forces have been fighting with the armed group," said Al Jazeera's correspondent in Kabul. Military helipcopters were seen flying over the city amidst the sound of gunfire.
The group briefly captured Kunduz in Septmeber last year, before the Afghan government, backed by Nato forces recaptured it. The battle sparked international headlines after an MSF-run hospital was hit by a US airstrike.
The latest attack come ahead of a major international donor conference in Brussels on Tuesday.