Government forces in northern Afghanistan have launched a counter-offensive against the Taliban, after they took control of a key district. Chardara is just a few kilometres from the city of Kunduz, and a major road to the capital Kabul runs through it. BBC reports:
A Taliban website showed militants parading around a well-fortified police post they had seized. The government says it has regained control of another northern district, Yumgan in Badakshan province. Chardara local official Muhammad Yusuf Ayubi told AFP news agency that the district had fallen to the Taliban after hours of fighting, adding that 12 soldiers had died and 17 were wounded.
Last month tens of thousands of people were displaced after the Taliban moved into the same area. The government believes that there are many foreign fighters allied to Islamic State fighting alongside the Taliban here.
Militant violence has increased across the country since the departure of most US and Nato forces last year.
