Kabul: Update:
Afghan security forces have cleared Kunduz of Taliban fighters, an official said Sunday, one day after insurgents assaulted the northern Afghanistan city.
The multi-fronted attack Saturday saw Taliban fighters try to overwhelm Kunduz from several directions in a bid to capture the strategically important city near the Tajik border.
After heavy fighting that included US air support, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP on Sunday that the city was free of Taliban.
"Kunduz city has been cleared, Taliban pushed back from areas they had taken," Rahimi said.
"The situation is back to normal in the city.
But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid disputed the claim, saying insurgents were holding onto their positions.
The "enemy's propaganda about expelling mujahideen or killing them is untrue," he told journalists.
Suicide bomber kills 10 in Afghan city of Kunduz
A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people and injured five others on Saturday in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, where intense fighting pitting Taliban militants against Afghanistan's security forces over the past 20 hours have left nearly 60 insurgents dead.
Among those wounded in the suicide blast was the police chief of Kunduz province, Manzor Stanekzai, Efe news reported.
A big attack was carried out against the chief of police and the commandos of Kunduz in the centre of the city. According to the initial information on this attack, dozens of police and soldiers died or were wounded, including the chief of police of Kunduz.
The incident occurred at around 6pm when Stanekzai was talking to a group of reporters in the central part of Kunduz city about the security situation, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Marwa Amini told EFE.
"Ten people died and five others were wounded in the explosion," she said, without identifying the victims.
An official from the Kunduz governor's office told EFE that Stanekzai had been wounded and was receiving medical attention.
"The health status of the Kunduz chief of police is stable and he is out of danger," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, which occurred as pro-government forces and the Taliban were fighting on Kunduz's outskirts for control of that provincial capital.
Death toll
They also said the casualty count was significantly higher.
"A big attack was carried out against the chief of police and the commandos of Kunduz in the centre of the city. According to the initial information on this attack, dozens of police and soldiers died or were wounded, including the chief of police of Kunduz," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
What happened?
The Taliban attacked Kunduz in the wee hours of Saturday, entering the city from different directions and taking control of several of its checkpoints and neighbourhoods.
Authorities said at least 56 insurgents died and an unknown number of soldiers were killed in the clashes.
The attacks coincided with the ninth round of negotiations between a US delegation and Taliban representatives in Doha, where they are trying to hammer out an agreement that brings an end to the 18-year Afghanistan war.
The sides are working on a deal that would see US forces gradually withdraw from Afghanistan in exchange for a pledge from the Taliban not to allow the country to become a haven for international militants.
