UPDATE - Afghan Taliban enter Kunduz city a year after siege

UPDATES WITH PENTAGON COMMENTS

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan / WASHINGTON (AA) – The Taliban in northern Afghanistan have managed to yet again overrun the key town of Kunduz, a year after they were driven from the city after briefly seizing it.

In the early hours of Monday, groups of Taliban fighters stormed the city of Kunduz, the capital of the Tajikistan-bordering province of the same name, from four directions and by late afternoon had managed to enter the city.

The Afghan Defense Ministry has not confirmed the reports from locals that the Taliban entered the city, and there are no official reports of casualties yet.

Ameerudin Wali, a member of the provincial council, told Anadolu Agency the rebels have captured the city’s main square and hoisted their notorious white flag.

Ghulam Rabbani, another provincial council member, warned that if no fresh Afghan army contingents arrive, the provincial capital could completely fall to the Taliban.

The attack came as President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left to attend the Brussels conference on Afghanistan in the Belgian capital. The NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan has said it is ready to respond to the developing situation.

Last October, a U.S. strike killed 42 victims at a Doctors Without Borders hospital. The charity had to cancel an event marking the anniversary of the strike due to the current violence.

Pentagon Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said U.S. forces had “multiple assets” in Kunduz, that includes Special Forces “enablers” and air support.

“The situation remains fluid, we are continuing to watch it closely and work with our Afghan partners,” Davis said. “They are responding to increased Taliban activity in the area.”

AA Washington correspondent Kasim Ileri contributed to this report.