<span style="color: #222222;">The Taliban launched an attack on a second Afghan city, even as a United States envoy says the US and the Taliban are "at the threshold of an agreement" to end America's longest war.<br />'' <br />'' The spokesman for the Baghlan province police chief, Jawed Basharat, said gunbattles continued on the outskirts of its capital, Puli Khumri. There was no immediate word on any casualties.<br />'' <br />'' The attack came a day after the Taliban attacked Kunduz, one of Afghanistan's largest cities, in the province to the north and killed at least 16 people and wounded nearly 100. <br />'' <br />'' Safdar Mohsini, chief of the Baghlan provincial council, said if the Taliban enter the city they will be very difficult to repel. The city is 230 kilometres north of Kabul.<br />'' <br />''<br />''Meanwhile, Washington's special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said he was visiting Kabul today to brief the Afghan government on the details of a deal that is not yet final. </span>