The Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Sunday said it has drawn up a new military plan to get the Taliban out of Qala-e-Zal district in Kunduz and to retake the fallen district.  
 
“Operations will be launched, a big military plan has been defined for Kunduz. InshaAllah (God willing) , in the next few weeks, you will see the results,” said new army chief of staff Gen. Sharif Yaftali.
 
Meanwhile there are reports that heavy fighting is ongoing in parts of Kunduz province including the Charkhab area of the city.
 
On Saturday, Taliban insurgents infiltrated Qala-e-Zal after two days of heavy clashes with government forces, taking over the district, in another major setback for government which had pledged to secure Kunduz.
 
The district collapsed after the insurgents carried out a group attack on Aqtepa in Qala-e-Zal, according to officials.
 
In the meantime, a number of soldiers who have retreated from the district said the lack of supplies to security forces led to the collapse of the district to the Taliban. These soldiers are now deployed 10 kilometers from the district in Dasht-e-Abadan area.
 
“We are totally destroyed, we resisted for two consecutive nights with 300 AK47 bullets, we do not have grenades or rockets or mortars, we have only AK47 rifles,” said Qurban, the commander of Afghan Local Police (ALP).
 
“They did not supply us with food or weapons,” ALP commander Assadullah said.
 
“We did not have water or food, therefore we retreated from the trenches,” said another ALP soldier Abdul Baqi.
 
Reports from the frontline indicate that fighting was also underway in suburbs of Kunduz city including Charkhab, Khan Abad, Naseri Qishlaq, Shurabi Qishlaq, Kunduz highway and areas close to Kunduz airport.
 
War in the northeastern provinces:
 
In addition to heavy fighting in Kunduz, the Taliban has been trying to tighten its grip on some strategic areas such Yaftal Bala village located in provincial capital Faizabad, in Badakhshan as well as in Eshkashim and Tagab districts of the province.
 
The Taliban insurgents have also started their offensive against government forces in Baghlan province and there are reports of fighting in Chashma-e-Shir area, in suburbs of the provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri, Baghlan-e-Markazi and Doshi districts.
 
The recent wave of violence has created major concerns among residents in Baghlan who have all too often endured attacks by the Taliban.
 
“The situation in the northeastern provinces is moving towards a new crisis,” said Faiz Farahmand, a civil society activist in Baghlan.
 
“This indicates the weakness of government in maintaining security while security is one of the fundamental duties of government,” said another activist Nooria Nuzhat Naderi.
 
What analysts suggest
 
“The government needs to keep the enemy under pressure, it should come out of its defensive mode and instead be on the offensive; at the same time, it should have the support of  backup,” said military analyst Mohsin Mukhtar.
 
Over the past two years the Taliban has frequently launched coordinated attacks on parts of Kunduz city, a move which has raised serious questions over the Taliban’s ability and the weakness of government to tackle the issue.
 
The Taliban also managed to overrun the strategic town of Kunduz on two occasions in the past two years, which was a setback for government forces.