Islamabad, November 12
Opposition Northern Alliance forces today made a major push towards Kabul and captured the entire Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan and the key western city of Herat as ruling Taliban retreated from all northern provinces except Kunduz.
The Alliance forces broke through a militia frontline north of the capital after capturing the district of Qara Bagh in just an hour-long battle leaving 100 Taliban soldiers dead, the opposition claimed.
Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA quoting a leader of Afghan coalition of Shiite groups said that the opposition forces captured the entire Bamiyan province early this morning.
Karim Khalili said 50 Taliban fighters were killed and about 100 captured during the fight to regain Bamiyan.
Emboldened by their victory at the northern Taliban stronghold of Mazar-e-Sharif and several neighbouring provinces, the Alliance troops claimed to have also marched into the western city of Herat where people revolted against the militia.
In Kabul, Taliban fighters were setting up road blocks in a bid to create hurdles for opposition forces.
The Alliance forces advanced through the frontlines north of Kabul from Charikar and Bagram after the USA stopped bombing raids in the area, reports reaching here said.
The Alliance forces made the push towards Kabul despite an advice by the USA not to do so fearing that the fighting could weaken the chance of building a post-Taliban coalition government.
However, opposition Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said that while there was no “set plan to move into Kabul”, he would not rule it out.
Opposition spokesman Waisuddin Salik was quoted as saying that 100 Taliban troops were killed while defending Qara Bagh, 40 km north of Kabul. The fighting lasted just about an hour.
An Iranian state radio correspondent in Herat said the Northern Alliance forces had entered the city and it could be seen the Taliban forces were rapidly leaving and some of them were moving towards the Alliance.
The opposition further claimed to have seized the strategic town of Pul-e-Khumri, north of Kabul and the town of Qala-e-Nau in the western province of Badghis.
The capture of Pul-e-Khumri would cut the main north-south road through the centre
of Afghanistan, leaving the remaining Taliban forces in the north stranded.
According to opposition sources, the Northern Alliance forces have taken all the Taliban-held positions along the Sharatai frontline in northeast Takhar province where dozens of Taliban troops were killed in combat.
The Northern Alliance yesterday said it had seized Taloqan, capital of Takhar province, a claim denied by the Taliban.
Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic press reported that Taliban militia had pulled out of all northern provinces except Kunduz after opposition forces captured Faryab overnight.
PTI
