Taliban overrun key Afghan city

The Taliban seized control of half of a major Afghan city yesterday, witnesses said, the first time they have done so since being ousted from power by a US-led invasion.

The hardline Islamist group hoisted its flag over key buildings and the main square of the northeastern city of Kunduz, offering a potentially powerful image in a country that laboured under its rule until 2001.

Meanwhile, Taliban insurgents broke into the main prison in Kunduz, freeing hundreds of fellow Islamist fighters hours after militants captured much of the city, two security officials said.

Armed with rocket-propelled grenades, Taliban militants overwhelmed security guards at the jail in Kunduz city centre, according to two officials there who spoke on condition of anonymity, reports Reuters.

"The Taliban have taken over our neighbourhood, which is part of Kunduz city, I can see their fighters all around," said an AFP journalist in the city, Afghanistan's fifth largest.

He added that some were racing police vehicles around the city and had raised the black and white flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the group's official name) over the homes of government officials.

The Islamist group has been largely absent from cities since being driven from power by the US and its allies.