U.S. ADVISERS AID IN BATTLE FOR CITY

KABUL The United States has sent military advisers to aid Afghan forces in Ghazni, where they were struggling on Sunday to regain full control three days after the Taliban launched a massive assault on the eastern city.

The assault was a major show of force by the Taliban, who had infiltrated deep into the city and attacked from several directions. In recent years the insurgents have seized several districts across the country and staged near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces, but have been unable to capture and hold urban areas.

The U.S.-led NATO mission has carried out airstrikes in support of Afghan forces. Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said Afghan forces were engaged in a “cleanup operation,” while acknowledging for the first time that “some U.S. advisers were on the ground.”

The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, but have repeatedly come to the aid of Afghan forces.