Taliban insurgents take city of Kunduz

Members of the Afghan security services and national army secure a road leading to the Baghlan-Kunduz provincial border on Wednesday.

(Ajmal Omari / EPA)

Sept. 30, 2015 7:29 AM PT

Taliban insurgents captured Kunduz -- the first major urban center to fall under their control in 14 years -- early Monday. Special forces belonging to the U.S.-led coalition fought Taliban insurgents Wednesday as Afghan forces mounted a fierce counteroffensive to retake the city.

An Afghan security officer stands guard at a checkpoint in Herat, Afghanistan on Wednesday.

(Jalil Rezayee / EPA)

Afghan security personnel keep watch as heavy fighting erupted near the airport on the outskirts of Kunduz on Wednesday.

(Nasir Waqif / AFP / Getty Images)

Afghan special forces arrive at the Kunduz airport as they launch a counteroffensive to retake the city from Taliban insurgents on Tuesday.

(Nasir Waqif / AFP / Getty Images)

A Taliban fighter sits on a motorcycle sporting a Taliban flag a day after the insurgents overran Kunduz on Tuesday.

(AFP / Getty Images)

Taliban fighters walk with their weapons on a street in Kunduz on Monday.

(Hekmat Aimaq / Associated Press)