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KUNDUZ CITY (SW): Kunduz provincial council members have informed that the Qala-e-Zaal district briefly fell to the militants on Wednesday night.
Amruddin Wali, a member of the provincial council, said that the district was captured by the militants after four days of fighting.
Asadullah Sadaat, another member of the council and resident of the district has confirmed the development. He told Salam Watandar that the security forces have retreated. He claimed that during the fighting, Safiullah Amiri, the police chief in the district, has been killed.
Security officials however, have not commented on this and some reports suggest that the district police chief has been injured.
Meanwhile, Shiraziz Kamawal, commander of Afghan National Police (ANP)’s 808-Spinghar Corps, has denied reports about the collapse of the district. He said that the Taliban attacked the district in groups but the Special Forces have been dispatched to the area, and “good news” about the district is on the horizon.
Salam Watandar’s correspondent in Kunduz said that the fighting is still underway in Qala-e-Zaal.
Sayed Mahmud Danesh, spokesman for the governor in Kunduz, said that the security forces are still in charge, and that they have not retreated away from the district. Taliban on the other hand have released a statement, which says that the center of the district and all security checkpoints have been captured.
The statement further said that the Taliban have inflicted casualties upon the security forces.
ENDS
