Most of Kunduz capital falls to Taliban

Kabul, Aug. 8: Taliban fighters seized most of the capital of northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province on Sunday, the latest in a series of blows to government forces as US troops complete their pullout after two decades in the country.

Two provincial council members said the Taliban took control of the governor's office and police headquarters after a day of firefights, as well as the main prison building, where 500 inmates including Taliban fighters were freed.

If Kunduz falls, it would be a significant gain for the Taliban and a test of their ability to take and retain territory in their campaign against the Westernbacked government. It is one of the country's larger cities with a population of more than 340,000.

Councilman Ghulam Rabani Rabani said that fighting was continuing at the city's airport and other parts of the city. Kunduz is a strategic crossroads with good access to much of northern Afghanistan as well as the capital, Kabul, about 200 miles (335 kilometers) away.

Another provincial council member form Kunduz, Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi also said that Afghan forces only control the airport and main army barracks, and that the Taliban control all of Kunduz besides those areas.

A video obtained by the Associated Press showed the Taliban's white flag flying atop a traffic police booth in Kunduz's main square.

◗ IF KUNDUZ falls, it would be a significant gain for the Taliban and a test of their ability to take and retain territory in their campaign against the Western-backed government. It is one of the country’s larger cities.

Beirut, Aug. 8: The leader of the militant Hezbollah group said Saturday his group will retaliate against any future Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, a day after his supporters fired a barrage of rockets toward Israel.

Hassan Nasrallah said it would be wrong to assume Hezbollah would be constrained by internal divisions in Lebanon, or the country’s harsh economic crisis. Nasrallah’s comments came a day after his group fired rockets toward Israel, calling it retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon a day earlier.

Thursday’s airstrikes — the first in years — were in response to mysterious rockets that were fired from Lebanon toward Israel on Wednesday. Friday’s rocket fire was the third day of attacks along the volatile border with Lebanon, a major Middle East flashpoint where tensions between Israel and Iran, which backs Hezbollah.