Afghan officials say fierce gunbattles are still underway across the embattled northern city of Kunduz, almost 30 hours after the Taliban launched a multipronged attack there, the Associated Press reports.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi says Afghan security forces are "trying to secure the city" on Tuesday.

He says Taliban gunmen are hiding in residential homes, making progress slow and difficult.

The Taliban began their attack from all directions early the previous day. They briefly raised a flag over a main intersection before being repelled from the city center.

Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, the head of the provincial council says the city has become a battlefield with fighting going on in many different areas.

The city fell to the Taliban a year ago before they were beaten back by Afghan and U.S. forces.