Afghan government says it has retaken Kunduz from the Taliban

Afghan security forces patrol Kunduz, which they claim to have recaptured from the Taliban

(Image credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Early Thursday, Afghan officials said that Afghan security forces recaptured the city of Kunduz in an overnight offensive, four days after the Taliban seized the regional capital, notching its biggest victory since 2001. "After we got reinforcements and started a massive operation inside Kunduz city, the Taliban could not resist and escaped," Hamdullah Danish, the acting governor of Kunduz province, told Reuters. "Right now, the Taliban have left Kunduz city," said Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri. "A clearance operation is ongoing."

The Taliban denied that its victory had been so short-lived. "Enemy claims regarding the Kunduz situation are not true," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. "Mujahedeen are resisting in the city's security circle." Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said about 200 Taliban fighters were killed in the battle, but didn't give casualty figures for members of the Afghan police and army.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.