Taliban overrun Warduj district of Badakhshan

The Taliban have taken over the Warduj district of Badakhshan, east of Kunduz province, according to Fawzia Koofi, one of the first women to be elected to the Afghan parliament after the U.S. invasion of the country.

The Taliban takeover in Warduj province represents a new setback for the Afghan government, after the group reclaimed parts of the city of Kunduz earlier this week.

That was the biggest victory the Taliban has had in 15 years. Kunduz is a strategic hub on the main highway between Kabul and Tajikistan.

Earlier Thursday, Doctors Without Borders staff working in a hospital in Kunduz were caught in the crossfire as the Taliban and Afghan security forces — with help from U.S. troops — battled for control of the provincial capital.

The medical staff bravely worked to treat the wounded as shells exploded and the ominous sound of rockets filled the air. Bullets broke windows and pierced the roof of the intensive care unit, Dr. Masood Nasim said.

“Our hospital was on the front line, with fighting outside the gate,” he said. “But despite being in the middle of the fighting, our hospital and staff have been respected and we’ve been able to carry on our work.”

Nasim, the medical team leader, said that since Monday — when the Taliban said they had seized control of Kunduz — the hospital had received at least 296 patients, including 64 children. Nearly 75 of them arrived in critical condition, and many were shot, he said.

The facility has a 92-bed capacity but the medical staff scrambled. They put patients in offices and examination rooms and stabilized many on mattresses on the ground.

“Our surgeons have been treating very severe abdominal wounds and limb and head injuries,” he said. “The hospital has been completely full of patients.”

While they fought to save lives, competing narratives circulated over who was winning Kunduz.

Early Thursday, the Afghan government said it had reclaimed most of the city in a big operation backed by U.S. airstrikes.

But hours later there were signs that the Taliban were back in Kunduz, a resident told CNN. Gunshots were heard near the airport, according to a resident who did not want to be named for security reasons.

CNN