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Dadri is second Babri, will raise issue in UN: SP leader Azam Khan

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Azam Khan

Lucknow: Taking the political slugfest over Dadri lynching incident to another level, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, Monday, declared that he will approach the United Nations to seek justice.

Asserting that the Dadri incident is no less than the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, Khan said that the RSS and the BJP have declared that they will create ‘Hindu Rashtra’.

“If Hindustan becomes Hindu Rashtra then what will be the role of Muslims? If Muslims wanted to live in a country based on religion then the road to Pakistan was open for them in 1947 but they stayed back on assurance by Mahatma Gandhi and others.”

Muslims stayed back to be in a country governed by rules; if Muslims live here then what will be the status of them?, he added.

Khan said that he will raise the rising cases of communal violence in the UN. “Our approaching the UN is not going against India but we are appealing to the UN. I have sought audience with secretary general of the UN,” he said.

“There should be a round table conference on what will be the new map of India and how people will live in the country,” he said.

Khan also found a link between the Dadri incident and the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar. “Now the agenda of Bihar polls is not development, now it is being said that anyone who has beef meat in his stomach is to be killed.”

(Agencies)

South Africa beats India by 7 wickets in 1st T20 game

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ind vs sa_AP

Dharamsala: South African cricket captain Faf du Plessis won the toss in the first of the three-match Twenty20 international series in Dharamsala on Friday and chose to bowl first, keeping the possibility of dew at the high-altitude venue in mind.

Indian limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he wanted to bowl first too, and praised debutant Karnataka medium-pacer Sreenath Aravind’s IPL performance, backing the debutant. India have left out legspinner Amit Mishra, offspinner Harbhajan Singh, allrounder Stuart Binny and batsman Ajinkya Rahane.

South Africa have left out allrounder Albie Morkel, legspinner Edie Leie and batsman Khaya Zondo. Quinton de Kock isn’t playing either, so Amla will open with AB de Villiers, who will also keep wickets.

Aided by the return of Dhoni as the limited overs skipper, India will aim for a winning start against South Africa, who begin their 72-day long tour of India at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) on the back of a T20 loss against India A in their only warm-up match.

However, they will aim to put that poor performance behind them and look for a positive start to the hectic tour. The three-match T20 series is mostly seen as a preparation for the upcoming World Cup T20 in 2016 scheduled to be played in India.

Dhoni will be back into the side after a gap of three months and will aim to make the most of the preparations ahead of the next year’s tournament. Youngsters Axar Patel, Sreenath Aravind and Ambati Rayudu will be tested.

With India’s batting line-up comprising Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane being the strength, the Proteas’ bowlers need to be disciplined to dismantle them in conditions favouring the batsmen.

South Afica’s batsmen, such as the likes of Plessis, de Villiers, J.P. Duminy, de Kock, David Miller will aim to use their Indian Premier League (IPL) experience as much as possible in the three T20 matches. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir will come into play on the turning tracks and can turn out to be the visiting team’s best bet at taking wickets.

India, on the other hand, have a strong bowling line-up, with spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin leading the lines, assisted by pacers Mohit Sharma and Sreenath Aravind.

With both teams looking strong on paper, one cracker of a contest can be expected.

26th National under 17 Chess Championship inaugurated

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under_17_chess_championship

Bengaluru: 26th National Under 17 Open and Girls Chess Championship is organized by United Karnataka Chess Association in Association with Bharath Electronic Officers Club, Bangalore and under the auspices of All India Chess Federation started at 11 am today at Bharath Electronic Officers Club, Jalahalli Post, Bangalore 560013

The championship was inaugurated by Sri Sri Sri Chandrashekara Swamiji, “The game of chess will help to improve the ability to think and definitely will guide you to become good citizen”, he said in his inaugural speech.

Chief Guest of the inauguration function, Sri Manmohan Handa, Director- Bangalore Complex, Bharat Electronics, Bangalore said “BEL is promoting sports, culture and strong presence in corporate social responsibility in the rural area, predominantly in Education, Medical and Environment sustainability. Sri K S Krishna, Hon President- BEOC in his guest speech said “We in BEL believe in upbringing of future generation socially and culturally as good citizen. Chess game will help in inculcating patience, harmony which is need of hour”.

Sri D V Sundar, Vice President FIDE expressed his happiness and said “It is not who does the event, it is important to note with whom we align with in pursuit of popularizing the sport.” He congratulated UKCA in getting a top corporate House Bharath Electronics to support chess in Karnataka state.

Sri V C Prakash, Vice Chairman, NRI Forum holding cabinet rank expressed his happiness to join all distinguished guests on the dais and said he will support fully the State Association in getting a permanent venue for chess in Bangalore.

Sri Mallapa H Honnannavar, Hon Secretary BEOC was very proud to be associated with UKCA and expressed his interest in hosting many FIDE rating tournaments in BE Officers Club in near future. He thanked everyone in managing committee of BEOC for having faith in the success of the event and supporting.

Sri D P Anantha, President, United Karnataka Chess Association thanked Sri DV Sundar, Vice President, FIDE for providing necessary support and motivation for the state association. He gave out a plan of action for spreading awareness about benefits of chess across the Karnataka state.

Total of 80 players from 18 states are participating in open category.Mr Al Muthaiah (2316) of Tamilnadu is top seed follwed by Mr Sai Vishwesh C (ELO 2315) of Tamilnadu, National Junior Champion and Silver medalist in National Sub Junior WFM Vaishali R (2314), Krishna Teja N (2313) of AP. Defending National Under 17 silver medalist Mr Pranavananda V (2174) of AP is 12 seed in this championship.

In girls section, Defending National Under 17 Girls Champion, WFM Varshini V (2105) of Tamilnadu is top seed followed by Priyanka Natukki (2042) of AP Vantika Agrawal (2039) of Delhi, and Defending silver medalist WFM Mahalakshmi (2019) of Tamilnadu. It is important to know that, there are 8 titled players participating in this championship

The first round stated at 2:30 pm. The results of the first round will be sent at 6 pm today as the results expected approximately at 6 pm.

Oregon shooter had 13 guns and was student at Umpqua

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Six guns found at scene and seven at home of Chris Harper Mercer, who was enrolled at college where shooting took place.

Oregon's top federal prosecutor said Mercer used a handgun when he opened fire on classmates [EPA]

Oregon’s top federal prosecutor said Mercer used a handgun when he opened fire on classmates [EPA]

by Al Jazeera

The gunman behind the latest mass shooting in the US had hoarded an arsenal of weapons and was enrolled in the class where the fatal shootings occurred, authorities have said.

The names of the nine people, five women and four men, aged between 18 and 67, who died on Thursday’s shooting at Umpqua Community College were released on Friday.

Though officials have yet to formally name him, the gunman, who died in a shoot-out with police, has been widely identified as Chris Harper Mercer, 26.

Officials said they had recovered 13 weapons belonging to him, including six at the school and seven at the apartment he shared with his mother.

A flak jacket and five rounds of ammunition were also recovered at the school after the shooting.

US media said Mercer left behind a typed statement several pages long in which he indicated he felt lonely and was inspired by previous mass killings.

Seven other people were wounded in the attack in Roseburg, about 180 miles south of Portland.

Mercer’s weapons had been purchased legally over the past three years, some by him, others by relatives, said Celinez Nunez, assistant field agent for the Seattle division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Oregon’s top federal prosecutor said Mercer used a handgun when he opened fire on classmates and stashed a rifle in another room but did not fire it.

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said on Friday that Mercer was enrolled in the class where the fatal shootings occurred.

Rita Cavin, interim president of the school, told CNN that Mercer was enrolled in English and theatre classes and that he initially opened fire in an English class.

Special school

The army revealed that Mercer had failed basic training in 2008.

Army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Ben Garrett said Mercer was in the military for a little over a month at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, but was discharged for failing to meet the minimum standards.

Garrett did not say which standards Mercer failed.

Generally, the army requires recruits to pass physical fitness tests and to be in overall good physical and mental health.

Recruits must also pass a multiple-choice test covering science, mathematics, reading comprehension and other topics.

Mercer graduated from the Switzer Learning Center in Torrance, California in 2009, according to a graduation listing in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

Switzer is a private, nonprofit school geared for special education students with a range of issues from learning disabilities, health problems and autism or Asperger Syndrome, according to the school’s website.

In Washington, President Barack Obama lamented the government’s inability to pass stricter gun laws even after attacks like the one in Oregon.

At a news conference at the White House on Friday, Obama said he planned to keep talking about the issue and “will politicise it” because inaction is itself a political decision the US is making.

He said it was impossible to identify mentally ill people likely to perpetrate mass shootings ahead of time.

The only thing the US can do, he explained, is ensure they do not have an arsenal available “when something in them snaps”.

Book Review: Blood on their hands: Expose of Indian Army’s shocking staged encounters

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blood-on-my-hands

by Bhavana Akella

New Delhi: Through shocking and revelatory confessions of an Indian Army officer on extrajudicial killings and state-sanctioned murders by the armed forces, journalist Kishalay Bhattacharjee’s latest book depicts how Indian state is built on violence and questions how a democracy can sustain acts which violate human rights for decades together.

In his book, “Blood on my hands” (Harper Collins; Pages: 200; Price: Rs. 250), Bhattacharjee’s conversations with an anonymous army officer serve as an expose for the highly regarded service in the country, the Indian Army.

The revelations explain significant shortcomings in the way the armed forces in the country are designed to function.

“The officers need a definite number of points to get a citation and earn their ranks and awards. Under this pressure, the army units bid to purchase a guy to be killed from the mafia,” Bhattacharjee told IANS, recalling from the confessions. The confessions is largely about killings in the North-East.

In order to earn the points, there are staged encounters of absolutely innocent people, Bhattacharjee said, adding that to earn money to stage the encounter (planting a gun etc.) the officers take to making extra bucks through narcotics, timber smuggling, and allowing human trafficking.

“I guess it was 300 points. Each kill brought five points. So these guys were short of ten points; and they contacted the mafia…They killed these two (from Bangladesh) just a day before they left, and the CRPF was roped in to aid the army,” read the confessions from the book.

One of the chapters, with confessions from the ‘inner circle’ of the army also indicates that the “succession and the big fights involving the army chiefs also has the staged encounters as a part.”

This could be one of the reasons, that it “embarrasses the Indian army”, that the book has been trending in Pakistan, Bhattacharjee said.

Born in Guwahati, Assam, Bhattacharjee, who has covered the conflict in north east region and the Maoist corridor for many years now, said belonging to the region gave him a bias that he had “absolutely no sympathy with militants or police.”

During his time, as a reporter in the region, he said, “whenever an encounter happened,we were forced to give the official version, and missed out on real information. That’s why in conflict reportage in India, most of the information is incorrect.”

Indian state has been built on violence, and violence has been institutionalised in the country through various laws, the journalist said. Many cases are just open and shut, and are not prosecuted, he said.

“When Indian union was created, we sent tanks to annexe regions — violence has been monopolised and institutionalised in the country. Armed Forces Special Protection Act (AFSPA) was an Emergency act,” he said.

“How can an Emergency act, in a democracy, be in place for nearly 58 years!” he exclaimed.

There are over a dozen “draconian” acts in the country like the AFSPA — which have been causing “gross human right violations”,

Bhattacharjee added.

“There was a situation when a beggar was picked up from a railway station and killed. This mafia of supplying human beings to the army to be killed is something I did not know of and was deeply disturbed to know,” he explained.

His meeting with the army officer, who confession forms a major part of the book, “was rather accidental”, he said.

“I had met him during my stay in the north east. Apparently through one of my reports, I had helped him. Over a drink we started talking and later with his permission documented it,” Bhattacharjee said, talking about the process of writing the book.

With confessions from chief secretaries, army generals, home secretaries and police officials, he was not sure whether he should write the book, as he was told it would “defame the Indian army” he said.

But the voice of a very senior army personnel, who said the book must be written since the “mess must be cleared” made him pen down the facts, Bhattacharjee said.

The anecdote of Julius Robert Oppenheimer, who after testing the A-bomb in 1946, met the US President Harry Truman, to say “Mr. President, I have blood on my hands” has been stuck in his head while writing the book he said.

“The term as a title talks of pure murder, and doesn’t dilute the situation,” Bhattacharjee said, adding that his next book would reveal the dynamics of the adivasis and maoists in the country.

(IANS)

A fact-finding report on murder by communal elements in Dadri

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Akhlaq's daughter and sister at his residence in Bisara village, in Dadri. (Photo: IE by Gajendra Yadav)

Akhlaq’s daughter and sister at his residence in Bisara village, in Dadri. (Photo: IE by Gajendra Yadav)

by National Committee, IFTU

New Delhi: Those employees of Denso India Limited (situated in NOIDA) who lived in Dadri learnt in the early hours of 29th September that the brother of one of their workers had been beaten to death late the previous night by a mob in his village Bishada situated 4 kms. north of Dadri. The son of the dead man had also been severely beaten and was fighting for life in a nearby hospital where had been admitted by the police.

Led by Com. Radheyshyam, Member of the National Committee of Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) and also ex-General Secretary of the Shramik Sangh along with Shri Vinod Bhati ex-President of Shramik Sangh and other workmen associated with the Shramik Sangh, a team of employees of Denso India Ltd. went to Bishada to console the workman Jan Mohammed and his family on 29th September, 2015. There they learnt the details of the horrible circumstances concerning these killings.

This village is the native village of Jan Mohammed (family has lived here for generations) who himself lives in Dadri and works as a technician in Denso India Ltd. His brother, Ikhlaq Ahmed (who was killed) worked as a blacksmith and was a living in the village. Of his other brothers, the eldest, Zamir Ahmed, works in a private company in Delhi and lives in Loni, the second, Afzal Ahmed, is an employee of Indian Railways and lives next door in village Bishada itself where he is constructing another house. Ikhlaq himself was living in the village and earlier had been a temporary employee in Denso India Ltd. Jan Mohd. is the youngest.

Late Ikhlaq Ahmed’s elder son is in the Indian Air Force and is posted in Chennai. His younger son, Danish, is lying injured. Ikhlaq also has a daughter. In the village of 9500 voters and 2500 families, the houses of the two brothers are at a distance from that of 32 other Muslim families who live beyond the temple. The village is Thakur dominated (part of satta or seven Thakur dominated villages); there are some scheduled caste families besides. One person from among them is also a permanent employee of Denso India Ltd. The nearest thana is at Jarcha, 1-2 km. from the village. It was apparent that the brothers had worked hard, managed to educate the children and had average lifestyle as well.

The team learnt that activity of the BJP had started recently in this village itself, the area MP is Mahesh Sharma, an important functionary of the BJP. The youth of the village were in contact with Central BJP functionaries and some have started roaming in streets wearing shirts imprinted with Hindu religious symbols. Many of these youth take alcohol and are very rude and arrogant. Three months earlier, a priest had been appointed to the local temple which did not have a priest earlier. The temple itself has a public address system with four loudspeakers whose sound reaches the entire village. According to Jan Mohd. the family (both the houses) had not done any sacrifice on Bakr-id on September 25. Goat meat of sacrifice was sent by late Ikhlaq’s married daughter, and same was cooked and some stored in the fridge. Some other people of the village from other community, known to late Ikhlaq and who were non-vegetarians, also ate the meat.

Around 8 PM some photos of beef being found in a utensil and being confiscated by the police were uploaded in the social media. The name of this village was written below the photos though nobody has said till date that such an incident had occurred in this village. After 9 PM, three or four youth went to the temple and the priest says he was forced to announce that everyone should assemble as cow was lying slaughtered in the village. Around 1500 people or more started collecting, and the family said that around 100 entered the narrow gali in front of the house, broke open the gate, scaled the wall, shouting abuses. The daughter of late Ikhlaq told the workers’ team that some youth beat her grandmother, some of them went to the first floor where Ikhlaq and his son Danish were sitting. The youth were armed with lathis. A sawing machine is also kept in the room. They beat up bother father and son, battered them with machine, left the son there but dragged Ikhlaq’s body into the gali and left it there about 150 yards from the house. By then the PCR arrived. Ikhlaq’s daughter has been able to name ten youth among the killers as they were neighbours whom she could identify.

IFTU National Committee has received this report and is releasing the same. We strongly condemn the ghastly incident which was clearly executed with prior planning and in organized fashion. Ikhlaq’s brother’s house and the family next door was left untouched. We are amazed that BJP MP, Mr. Mahesh Sharma, attributes the incident to ‘misunderstanding’ and wonder how naïve the Modi Govt. and the RSS think people are. We express our condolences and sympathies with the family. We commend the workmen of Denso for their intervention and call on the workmen of Denso India and other industries to join us in ensuring justice to their colleague’s brother. We demand that the UP Govt. arrest the guilty immediately, ensure security to the family and expose the political elements who planned and executed this murder.

The RSS and BJP are systematically communally polarizing areas where people of both the communities have lived side by side for generations. We call upon the working class to expose communal conspiracies of RSS-BJP to divide the fighting strength of the people on their democratic demands, and to defeat their conspiracies.

Mumbai: Church demands ban on play for hurting religious sentiments

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agnes-of-god

Mumbai: Catholic Church in India has demanded ban on the play ‘Agnes of God’, an adaptation of American playwright John Pielmeier’s drama about a nun giving birth to a dead child, alleging it is a “wrongful portrayal” of priests and nuns committed to a life of celibacy and hurts the sentiments of the Christians.

According to the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), the play “is the wrongful portrayal of the character of lakhs of clergy, who are committed to a life of celibacy”.

“We have written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and also other Chief Ministers to ban the play as it hurts religious sentiments,” Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) general secretary Joseph Dias told PTI here today.

He, however, said the CSF has no plan to obstruct the upcoming performance of the play in Mumbai.

“There is no question of halting that performance as it is to be staged before an invited audience at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA, though it was originally planned at Sophia hall,” Dias said.

“The play has been made by a group whose earlier work was ‘Vagina Monologues’. They are not Christians and they did not involve or consult the Church. The play questions the sacrifice of nuns. Now, they will sell the tickets for hundreds of rupees,” Dias said.

The CBCI, the body of Catholic bishops in the country, has written to Union Home Ministry seeking a countrywide ban on the play holding that it was “misrepresentation of the religious belief of the Christian community”.

“The reason why the Catholic Church is against such a play is that it is the wrongful portrayal of the character of lakhs of our clergy, who are committed to a life of celibacy,” the CBCI letter said.

Director of the play, Kaizaad Kotwal, has approached police to pursue his plea seeking protection for himself and the lead cast including thespian actor Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal.

The play is an adaptation of a 1982 Broadway production by Pielmeier, reportedly based on a true incident in the US, narrating the story of a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the child was the result of a virgin conception.

(PTI)

Pakistan: Javed Iqbal, son of Allama Iqbal, passes away in Lahore

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Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal. PHOTO: FAISAL FAROOQUI

Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal. PHOTO: FAISAL FAROOQUI

by Imran Gabol, Dawn

Lahore: Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, son of renowned poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal, passed away at the age of 91 here on Saturday, Pakistan Television reported.

The former justice was under treatment for cancer at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Lahore.

Waleed Iqbal, son of Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, confirmed the death of his father saying that he passed away at around 8am this morning.

His funeral prayers will be offered at 4pm today in Gulberg area.

Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal served as a senior justice at the Supreme Court of Pakistan and previously as the chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

He is survived by his two sons Waleed and Munib Iqbal and wife Justice (retd) Nasira Iqbal — a former LHC judge.

Goa: Ramnathi villagers seek ban on Sanatan Sanstha

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Sanatan Sanstha

Panaji: Locals of Ramnathi in North Goa district where the Sanatan Sanstha is headquartered, have demanded a ban on the right-wing outfit and urged the state government to ensure that its ashram is shifted out of their village failing which they would intensify their agitation against them and their ‘sadhaks’ (seekers).

The villagers have given the state government a week’s time to ban the Sanstha or shift the ashram at Ramnathi saying that they would organise a rally and a public meeting at Ponda (taluka) bus stand if their demands are not met.

This is not the first time that the villagers have protested against the Sanstha based in Ramnathi in Ponda, known for a cluster of popular temples.

They had earlier done so after the 2009 bomb blasts when mastermind Gonda Patil and accomplice Yogesh Naik, both full-time members of the Sanstha, died while ferrying IEDs on their scooter to a Diwali gathering in Margao, located 35 km from Panaji.

Village sarpanch Shamila Lotlikar claimed that she has been approached by several locals with a demand that the ashram be shifted from Ramnathi following which she has appealed to the Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to do so immediately.

Ramnathi Yuva Sangh President Saurabh Lotlikar also sought to free the village from the “menace of Sanstha” after its members came under the scanner for alleged involvement in the murder of veteran communist leader and rationalist Govind Pansare in Maharashtra.

Sameer Gaikwad, a full-time seeker of the Sanstha, has been arrested in the Pansare murder case.

The Special Investigating Team (SIT), probing the murder of Pansare, suspects role of two more Sanstha members Rudra Patil and Sarang Akolkar alias Kulkarni, who are absconding in connection with the 2009 blast, in the case.

Rudra along with Sarang have been declared absconders by National Investigation Agency (NIA) since the Goa blasts.

Pansare was shot along with his wife near his residence in Kolhapur in Maharashtra on February 16. He succumbed to injuries four days later in Mumbai.

(PTI)

Air strike kills MSF medical staff in Afghanistan

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Three Doctors Without Borders staff killed in bombing of hospital in Kunduz, as NATO admits it may have been involved.

Surviving MSF staff were in shock after the clinic in Kunduz sustained heavy damage in the bombardment [MSF/Al Jazeera]

Surviving MSF staff were in shock after the clinic in Kunduz sustained heavy damage in the bombardment [MSF/Al Jazeera]

by Al Jazeera

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says three of its staff have been killed in an overnight bombing of a hospital in the embattled Afghan city of Kunduz.

NATO said on Friday that a US air strike “may have” hit the hospital, which is run by the medical charity, adding that the attack may have resulted in collateral damage.

The MSF hospital is seen as a key medical lifeline in the region, which has been running “beyond capacity” in recent days of fighting which saw the Taliban seize control of the provincial capital for several days.

“At 2:10 am (20:40 GMT) local time … the MSF trauma centre in Kunduz was hit several times during sustained bombing and was very badly damaged,” MSF said in a statement on Friday.

At the time of the bombing, 105 patients and their caretakers and more than 80 MSF international and national staff were present in the hospital, the charity said.

NATO investigation

NATO said in a statement that US forces conducted an air strike in Kunduz at 2:15am local time “against individuals threatening the force”.

“The strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility. This incident is under investigation,” the statement said.

In a statement, the Taliban accused “barbaric American forces” of deliberately carrying out Saturday’s strike, which “killed and wounded tens of doctors, nurses and patients”.

The MSF trauma centre in Kunduz is the only medical facility in the region that can deal with major injuries.

Al Jazeera’s Qais Azimy, reporting from Puli Khumri, about 130km from Kunduz, said the bombing injured at least 50 people.

Following the attack, the medical charity urged all parties involved in the violence to respect the safety of health facilities, patients and staff.

Battle for Kunduz

The development came a day after the Afghan government claimed it had successfully retaken parts of Kunduz from Taliban fighters who had controlled the strategic city since Monday.

The Taliban, however, claimed it remained in control of most of Kunduz, our correspondent said.

Kunduz is facing a humanitarian crisis, with thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire between government forces and Taliban fighters.

Precise losses in the fighting were not known, but health authorities said on Friday that at least 60 people have been killed and 400 wounded.

As fighting spreads in neighbouring Badakhshan, Takhar and Baghlan provinces, concerns are mounting that the seizure of Kunduz was merely the opening gambit in a new, bolder Taliban strategy to tighten the grip across northern Afghanistan.

Afghan forces, backed by NATO special forces and US air strikes, have been going from house to house in Kunduz in a bid to flush Taliban fighters out of the city.

The Taliban’s offensive in Kunduz, their biggest tactical success since 2001, marks a major blow for Afghanistan’s Western-trained forces, who have largely been fighting on their own since last December.

Civilian and military casualties caused by NATO forces have been one of the most contentious issues in the 14-year campaign against the Taliban, provoking harsh public and government criticism.

US-led NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan last December, though a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counterterrorism operations.

But there has been an escalation in air strikes by NATO forces in recent months despite the drawdown.

MSF’s hospital is the only facility of its kind in the whole north-eastern region of Afghanistan [MSF]

The medical charity urges all parties to the violence to respect the safety of health facilities, patients and staff [MSF]

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