KUNDUZ – At least 20 Afghan security force members and five civilians werekilled and 80 others, mostly civilians, were wounded in Taliban attack onthe city of Kunduz which continued for more than 24 hours, the Ministry ofInterior said in a statement on Sunday.

The clashes left 56 Taliban fighters dead, the statement said. Taliban hasnot commented on their casualties in Kunduz battle.

The city of Kunduz came under attack for the third time in the last fiveyears. The militants attacked the city from three directions at around 1:30am on Saturday, according to Interior Ministry.

The statement said that the situation was back to normal in the city as thespecial units of the NDS, Army, and Police cleared all embattled areas ofTaliban.

“The city is fully cleared of insurgents and is under control,” a spokesmanfor Ministry of Interior, Nusrat Rahimi, said in a tweet on Sunday morning.

The clashes continued for more than 24 hours on the outskirts of Kunduzcity, but a heavy explosion happened near the main roundabout in the cityon Saturday evening, leaving 10 people dead.