A joint military offensive was launched in northern Kunduz city early Tuesday to clear the city of insurgents, the 303 Pamir Police Zone in northern Afghanistan said in a statement.
 
The statement said that the clearing operation was launched by joint security forces early Tuesday in Zarkharid and Bagh-e-Sherkat in the center of Kunduz city.
 
“The operation was launched under the name of Pamir 2 in the framework of Khalid new year operation,” it said, adding that “army, police, and the National Directorate of Security (NDS) forces are all participating and the operation is being led by Pamir’s 20 Corps,” it said.
 
However, the statement did not provide more details about the operation.
 
Insurgents have in recent months been active in areas close to the city. As such residents have expressed concern about these activities and warned government that “if it does not clear the insecure areas, Kunduz will once again fall to the Taliban.”
 
In the past two years, Kunduz city has fallen twice to the Taliban but security forces were able to re-capture the city.