The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) cleared the strategic Kunduz city from the presence of the Taliban militants after nine days of intense gun battle, local officials said Wednesday.
Provincial police chief Mohammad Masoom Hashemi said the clearance operations fully concluded late on Tuesday night and operations are currently being conducted in the remote parts of the province.
There are no reports regarding the casualties incurred to the local residents and security forces during the past 9 days.
Thousands of local residents of the city were forced to flee the area after the Taliban militants launched a coordinated attack on the city.
The Taliban militants have launched numerous attacks on Kunduz city since it was retaken by the Afghan Special Operations Forces earlier in the month of October last year.
The latest attack by the group was launched last week after they started their offensive on the strategic city from different directions with an aim to capture its control.
The Taliban insurgents were accused of horrific criminal activities after they seized control of the city, including target killings, rape, kidnappings, use of civilians as shields, looting of public and private properties.
The Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan said at least 50 civilians were killed and over 350 others were wounded.http://www.khaama.com/afghan-forces-clear-kunduz-city-after-9-days-of-clashes-02062
PAK-AFGHAN-US TIES- EDITS/COMMENTARIES
More bloodshed in Afghanistan : edit in Daily Times, 14-Oct-16
There is no end to bloodshed in Afghanistan. The latest killings perpetrated by terrorists in Kabul on the holy occasion of Ashura are condemnable. At least 32 Shias have been martyred in two separate attacks during the commemoration of Ashura ceremonies. In the latest incident on Wednesday, a bomb blast outside a Shia mosque about 20 kilometre from Mazar-e-Sharif killed at least 14 people and wounded 24 among a gathering of worshippers. The blast came as an affiliate group of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) based in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for twin attacks in Kabul on Tuesday that also targeted Shias, killing up to 18 people and wounding dozens.
There is no real hope when these incidents of barbarity will end as beleaguered families in Afghanistan are becoming more and more disheartened regarding protection of their lives. They are holding their own government responsible for its failure to maintain peace and defeat terrorists. Reportedly, a record number of civilians died or wounded in hostilities in Afghanistan last year. More than 3,500 civilians died and nearly 7,500 were wounded in 2015. Another 5,500 Afghan security force members died in 2015, according to an estimate by the US authorities. Although, security forces in Kabul have been on high alert, they seem to be failing to stop the killing of innocent civilians at the hands of terrorists.
Afghanistan has been witnessing violence in all extreme forms. It has become a playing field for the Afghan Taliban and other factions of militant groups like ISIS, which is not a good omen. Under the pretext of spring offensive, winter war and attacks on minorities, militants are relentlessly loosing hell on a war-torn Afghanistan. Until recent months the Taliban had been confined to their stronghold in eastern Nangarhar, but in July, they claimed twin bombings that tore through the minority Shia Hazara protesters in Kabul, killing 84 people in the deadliest attack in the capital since 2001.
For the last few months, the struggling coalition government in Kabul has tried to get the Taliban to participate in peace talks. In this struggle, Pakistan military leadership was playing a crucial role by trying to convince the Afghan Taliban to shun violence by using their influence as it is believed that certain powerful elements in Pakistan are aiding the Taliban and providing its leadership with sanctuaries on its soil. The outreach, which also involved the United States and China, created early optimism, but no breakthrough has been achieved yet.
Apparently, the Taliban wish to show the ordinary Afghans how weak their government is, that it cannot protect them, and that the Taliban should be in power in Kabul. It seems that the chances for a negotiated peace with the Taliban, which the US and the Afghan government have been pursuing, are remote in the near future. It is to be understood that all militant groups share the same mentality and mindset of creating mayhem through violence for their hegemonic purposes. Pakistan needs to unite with the Afghan and American authorities to eliminate the stronghold of the Taliban if this sorry tale of bloodshed is to come to an end in Afghanistan, and in the region
http://dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/14-Oct-16/more-bloodshed-in-afghanistan
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