Ferocious fighting rages between Taliban and Afghan forces in the city of Kunduz

The officers and civilians said Afghan forces and the Taliban were fighting ferociously in the heart of Kunduz on Sunday after the terrorists conquered two provincial capitals in the previous 48 hours. The collapse of the northern capital might be a major setback for the central government, which has virtually abandoned efforts to defend population centres against Taliban attacks in the countryside.

Amruddin Wali, a member of the Kunduz provincial council, said that fierce street-to-street battle is happening in different parts of the city and a few security troops have moved closer to the airport, according to a news agency. Since Friday, the Taliban have gained control of two provincial capitals, but Kunduz would be the most significant since the rebels launched an onslaught in May as foreign forces began to depart. The Taliban took Zaranj in Nimroz, their first provincial capital, on Friday, then Sheberghan in Jawzjan the next day.

The US has conducted airstrikes 

In the west, fighting was reported on the outskirts of Herat, and in the south, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar. Government forces have been caught off guard by Taliban advances, but they received some relief late Saturday when US airplanes struck Taliban positions in Sheberghan, the Jawzjan province capital taken earlier in the day. Major Nicole Ferrara, a Central Command spokesperson, said that the US troops have conducted a number of airstrikes in recent days in defence of their Afghan partners. Abdul Rashid Dostum, a prominent Afghan warlord, is said to have retreated to the airport with his militiamen and government forces.

Dostum commands one of the country's largest militias and earned a terrible reputation fighting the Taliban in the 1990s, despite allegations that his soldiers slaughtered thousands of insurgent prisoners of war. The government's recent expectations that militia groups could help boost the country's overstretched military would be dashed if his fighters retreated.

Zaranj fell "without a fight"

According to its deputy governor, Zaranj city in Nimroz fell "without a fight" on Friday, becoming the first provincial capital to be captured. The authorities have yet to comment on the fall of the provincial capitals, other than to vow that they will be retaken swiftly. That has been a common response to most Taliban gains in recent weeks, despite the fact that official troops have generally failed to deliver on promises to reclaim scores of districts and border stations.