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Afghan troops recaptured the centre of the strategic northern city of Kunduz on Thursday after fierce clashes with Taliban militants, three days after losing the provincial capital in a humbling defeat for Kabul and its US allies.
Residents said soldiers were conducting house-to-house searches and had removed the Taliban flag from the central square, replacing it with government colors.
Pakistan’s military said it had killed 25 militants in air strikes along its restive border with Afghanistan on Thursday as part of a major offensive to clear Taliban and Al-Qaeda strongholds that began last year.
The strikes were carried out close to the Datta Khel area of the North Waziristan tribal region, the main bastion of militants who rose up against the state in 2004.
Afghan security forces are battling Taliban militants to regain control of the northern city of Kunduz, a day after Islamic militants from the movement seized the city from government troops.
Afghan security forces on September 29 retook government buildings, including the city prison and the provincial police headquarters from Taliban fighters.
But Taliban fighters remained overwhelmingly in control of Kunduz city.
The Taliban militants have taken full control of the central city of northern Kunduz province, local security officials said.
A local security official speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed that the Taliban militants have taken full control of the city and the security forces have fully retreated.
The deputy provincial governor Hamidullah Danishi earlier confirmed that half of the city has fallen to Taliban control but the provincial government compound and some other areas are still in control of the security forces.
At least 85 loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in military operations in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
The Afghan Intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the militants were killed in two separate airstrikes.
A statement by NDS said at least 60 of the militants were killed in Abdul Khel area while 25 others were killed in Shadal area of Achin district.