KABUL - Security forces launched a long-awaited house-to-house search operation of residential homes in Kunduz city in a BID to flush out insurgents, officials reported.

TOLOnews correspondent Sharif Amiry – who is embedded with the security forces – reported that scores of houses in different areas have been cleared of militants – who seized the city last Monday.

Several government facilities that were over run by Taliban assailants have also been retaken, Amiry reported. However he said landmines placed by the Taliban in these facilities are still a big threat.

"We have launched our search operation and the enemies are fleeing the area because they cannot confront us," a Kunduz police officer said, noting that about 80 percent of Police District (PD) four of the city has been cleared.

So far 13 armed Taliban insurgents have been arrested during the search operation, he continued.

Meanwhile, residents voiced their concerns about the ongoing battle in their city.

They called on the government to accelerate their operations and clear the area of insurgents as soon as possible.

"See our house is totally destroyed. We have no food and no water. Everywhere you look are bullets," a resident of Kunduz said. He also said he has lost one of his family members in the ongoing battle.

The city has however not been completely cleared of insurgents, reports Amiry. The battle is still ongoing in some areas.

Insurgents have been reportedly pushed back to the outskirts of the city and Chawk-e-Kunduz, the main traffic circle, is under control of government forces.

The center of the city's is back to normal, with many shops open. (Tolonews)