Taliban withdraws from city of Kunduz

The Taliban is withdrawing from the embattled Afghanistan city of Kunduz, the group announced Tuesday.

“Pulling back from Kunduz city and government compounds is based on consultation in order to protect civilians from bombings and prolonging it is a waste of humans and ammunitions,” Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

Last month, Taliban fighters overran the northern Afghan provincial capital of Kunduz, the group’s biggest victory since the U.S. ousted it from power in 2001. A few days later, the Afghan government said it regained control of most of the city, but heavy fighting continued.

Human rights groups have said the Taliban committed a number of atrocities against Kunduz residents, including murder and rape.

Doctors Without Borders has also accused the United States of committing a war crime in Kunduz when it carried out an airstrike that hit the charity’s hospital and killed 22 civilians. The United States said the hospital was mistakenly struck, apologize to the group, offered condolence payments to those affected and pledged that three investigations would determine exactly what happened.

U.S. lawmakers and military officials have cited the situation in Kunduz as evidence of the need for American troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2016.

Right now, plans call for troops to drop from 9,800 at bases around the country to 1,000 based at the embassy in Kabul.

President Obama is mulling recommendations that would change that plan and keep more troops in the country.

On Tuesday, Kunduz Police Chief Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh confirmed to reporters that Afghan security forces were back in control of the whole city of Kunduz, according to Reuters.

“Getting the city back to normal, Afghan government forces are removing the destroyed vehicles and roadblocks from the city,” he said.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said the withdrawal was not a sign of defeat.

“We assure our people and the world that we are able to seize the city,” he said.

The news out of northern Afghanistan comes the same day U.S. and Afghan forces claimed a major victory in the southern part of the country. U.S. officials announced Tuesday that an air and ground operation in the Shorabak district of Kandahar province dismantled al Qaeda operations there.