The fall of Kunduz is a setback for President Ashraf Ghani, who marked his first year in office on Tuesday

Afghan forces clashed with Taliban fighters in Kunduz on Tuesday as the government launched an operation to retake the center of the northern city, the first provincial capital to fall to the insurgents since their movement was toppled 14 years ago.

The Taliban's new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, celebrated the Islamist militants' capture of Kunduz, saying in a statement that residents had nothing to fear.