Taliban Targeted Activists, Media in Northern Afghan City

KABUL, Afghanistan — Within hours of seizing the northern Afghan city of Kunduz last month, Taliban fighters went door-to-door, hunting down not only those accused of working with security forces, but women’s rights advocates and journalists.

Government troops took back much of the city three days later, and on Monday the Taliban announced the withdrawal of their last fighters. But the Taliban’s brief foray into the city offered a chilling reminder of its violent Islamic rule in the late 1990s, and of what could await the country if it returns to power.