The Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Tuesday said the Taliban and their foreign associates have mobilized on the outskirts of Kunduz city and plan to launch a major offensive on Kunduz city.

The acting minister of defense Tariq Shah Bahrami said the MoD will dispatch an additional contingent of troops to the battlefields to thwart a possible attack on the city by the Taliban.

He also said the MoD plans to conduct an extended air and ground operation against the militant group in the area.

According to Bahrami, Taliban fighters from provinces surrounding Kunduz have flocked to the area as reinforcements for the insurgents.

According to reports, the security threat level in areas such as Talwaka, Pul-e-Alchin and some regions of Imam Sahib and Ali Abad districts are extremely high.

"There are threats, the Taliban have also flocked to Kunduz from neighboring provinces, their foreign colleagues have also mobilized to launch a major offensive in Kunduz, but the Afghan security forces are retaliating against them; yesterday the group sustained a major setback," said Bahrami.

The question being asked however is why is Kunduz the focal point of the Taliban?

"There are coordination issues and in the management of the forces, they (security forces) have also not mended their relations with the local people in order to persuade them to cooperate with security forces," said military analyst Mirza Mohammad Yarmand.

There is speculation that the absence of comprehensive strategies and poor war management by security institutions has led to the fragile security situation in the province.

"There is a big issue with the leadership of the forces, for instance, when a check post is under siege, reinforcements are not being sent in on time," said military analyst Mohammad Mohsin Mukhtar.

"Air and ground forces are on red alert to be dispatched to Kunduz," added Bahrami.

The Afghan security forces are currently tackling insurgents in at least 21 provinces and security threats are extremely high in some of these provinces.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/7402

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