Taliban attack north and south Afghanistan in coordinated strikes

The Taliban have launched two co-ordinated assaults at opposite ends of Afghanistan, attacking the northern city of Kunduz from several directions and killing a police chief in Helmand in the south.

Officials in both areas described fierce, well-planned operations involving a large number of gunmen who attacked under the cover of darkness. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, attacks on civilians and soldiers claimed at least seven more lives on Monday.