Afghan city of Kunduz mostly quiet, residents venturing out

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – An Afghan official says residents of the northern Afghan city of Kunduz have started to venture out of their homes for the first time since Taliban gunmen blitzed last week and held the city for three days.

Sarwar Hussaini, spokesman for the provincial police chief, says some shops have opened on Monday and people are seen walking the streets.

He says government troops have largely cleared the militants from the city after launching a counter-offensive last Thursday.

Khush Mohammad, a member of the Kunduz provincial council, says some fighting between government forces and the Taliban continues on Kunduz’s outskirts.

Kunduz is an important city on the Tajikistan border, a hub for smuggling routes for drugs and guns to and from Central Asian countries.