Heavy fighting damaged dozens of buildings and forced civilians to flee after Taliban militants overran six Afghan provincial capitals, including the strategic northern provincial capital of Kunduz. Taliban fighters seized key government buildings in the city of Kunduz on August 8 leaving government forces hanging onto control of the airport and their own military base. The Taliban also appeared to be in control of the northern cities of Sar-e Pol and Taloqan. The was also intense fighting in the southern city of Lashkar Gah and the northwestern city of Herat. The Taliban launched an all-out offensive in May as U.S.-led forces began the final stages of their withdrawal.
Damaged Buildings, Fleeing Families: Taliban Overruns Six Provincial Capitals Including Kunduz
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Afghans inspect damaged shops in the northern city of Kunduz after clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghan security forces on August 8. With some 375,000 inhabitants, Kunduz would be the most significant city to fall since the Taliban launched an all-out offensive in May as U.S.-led forces began the final stages of their withdrawal.
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A Taliban flag flies on the main square of the city of Kunduz after fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces. Government forces in Kunduz appeared to be only in control of the airport and their own base, with all key government buildings in the city in the militants' hands. The main prison in Kunduz was also reportedly under Taliban control.
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Smoke rises from damaged shops in Kunduz. The Afghan Defense Ministry denied Kunduz had fallen, saying in a statement on August 8 that commandos launched a clearance operation in the city, adding that the main intersection in the city center had been recaptured and the national TV building cleared of Taliban fighters.
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Damaged shops in the city of Kunduz were left smoldering after heavy fighting between Taliban militants and Afghan security forces.
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Damaged buildings in Kunduz.
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Displaced families sit inside a school in the Ghaziabad district of the northern part of Kunar Province on August 7. They fled their homes following fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban militants. Over 9,000 families have been displaced in the province and are in desperate need of food and shelter.
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A school damaged by air strikes in Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand Province. A Defense Ministry statement on August 8 confirmed that air strikes were carried out against Taliban positions, killing 54 fighters and wounding 23 others.
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The charred remains of a school library in Lashkar Gah following an air strike.
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A damaged health clinic in Lashkar Gah. On August 8, provincial council member Majid Akhund said government air strikes damaged the clinic and a local high school.
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People flee the northwestern Afghan city of Herat as government troops patrol the streets. Afghan security forces took back parts of the city following intense battles with Taliban fighters on August 8.
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Afghan security personnel on patrol in Herat after fighting Taliban militants on the outskirts of the city on August 8.
