Amnesty International has strongly condemned the Taliban militants’ "reign of terror" in the troubled northern Afghan city of Kunduz, where the terrorists have apparently committed crimes against humanity and serious war crimes

Amnesty International has strongly condemned the Taliban militants' "reign of terror" in the troubled northern Afghan city of Kunduz, where the terrorists have apparently committed crimes against humanity and serious war crimes.

In a statement released on Thursday, Amnesty cited civilian testimonies of mass murder, gang rapes and house-to-house searches by militant death squads in the strategic city, located some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Kabul.

The London-based rights group further noted that the terrorists have a "hit list," and use young boys to help conduct house-to-house searches in a bid to pursue their victims, particularly women.

It also accused the extremists of raping female relatives and killing family members of Afghan security personnel and army forces.

"The harrowing accounts we've received paint a picture of a reign of terror during the Taliban's brutal capture of Kunduz this week," Amnesty's Afghanistan researcher, Horia Mosadiq, said.

"The multiple credible reports of killings, rapes and other horrors meted out against the city's residents must prompt the Afghan authorities to do more now to protect civilians," she added.

On Thursday morning, Afghan troops recaptured the center of Kunduz after fierce clashes with Taliban militants. The achievement came three days after Afghan forces lost control of the city.

The significance of Kunduz lies in its strategic location on a crossroad that connects key regions of Afghanistan. It is also along the country’s border with Tajikistan and could offer the militants the opportunity to establish a base in the country’s north.