Kunduz Winter Operation Starts with Crackdown on Taleban

Security officials in Kunduz reported that winter operations have begun with a crackdown on armed, anti-government groups in Kunduz province. Press release from Kunduz police headquarters reported that the operation commenced today in the Zarkhared area of the city. Afghan security forces will search and clear the area of Taleban and other insurgent groups. Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh, chief of Kunduz police, said that police checkpoints and bases for security forces will be created in areas cleared of insurgents. He added that these forces would be responsible for security of the suburbs and central parts of the city. This comes as the city was overrun twice by Taleban last year in which dozens of civilians were killed and displaced. Meanwhile, Kunduz residents want the government, particularly security forces, to wipe out insurgents from the province so that the city never again falls to the Taleban