Taking Kunduz…

Earlier today, the Taliban captured the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. While doing so, they overtook the intelligence service headquarters, freed prisoners in the city’s jails, and set UN buildings on fire. When I was in Kunduz a few years ago, the Taliban already maintained a significant presence in the city. After entering Afghanistan from the Tajik border crossing, I had to pass through Kunduz to reach Balkh and Mazar-e Sharif — a journey which will now be especially dangerous, as the Taliban also captured villages today on the highway that connects Kunduz to Mazar-e Sharif and Kabul. The taking of Kunduz marks the first time in 14 years of war that a major Afghan city has fallen to the insurgency. It remains to be seen what the consequences of today’s victory will be…