Afghan forces attempted to strike back Tuesday in the northern city of Kunduz but faced stiff resistance from the Taliban, whose fighters overran the city a day earlier in a major blow to Afghanistan’s Western-backed government.
On Tuesday evening, Taliban units threatened the city’s airport, thwarting efforts by Afghan troops to overcome one of the militant group’s biggest offensives in the 14-year war.
As part of the counteroffensive, Afghan forces were backed by at least two U.S. airstrikes, including one intended to consolidate their positions around the airport.
The fight to reclaim Kunduz — Afghanistan’s sixth-largest city and a strategic gateway to Central Asia — is one of the Afghan military’s biggest tests in its campaign against the Taliban, and it raises questions about the withdrawal timetable for U.S. and other coalition troops.
