Worldandnation: Opposition cites advances in fighting against Taliban

Opposition cites advances in fighting against Taliban

Amid fears of an imminent U.S. attack, Afghanistan's rulers deny that opposing internal forces have made gains in heavy combat in the north.

©Associated Press

Amid fears of an imminent U.S. attack, Afghanistan's rulers deny that opposing internal forces have made gains in heavy combat in the north.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Heavy fighting was reported Sunday between Taliban and opposition forces in northern Afghanistan as the United States stepped up preparations for an attack to capture or kill suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and destroy his training camps.

An alliance of opposition groups claimed to have captured a key district of Balkh province and to have killed at least 80 Taliban militia fighters. Gen. Abdul Rasheed Dostum, chief of the Jumbish-e-Milli opposition group, said in a telephone interview that at least 200 Taliban fighters were captured and that his side had two men injured.

A Taliban official in Kabul confirmed the fighting but insisted the opposition alliance had made no gains in the region, 185 miles northwest of the Afghan capital. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity.

It was not possible to independently confirm the claims of either side because all of Afghanistan's neighbors have closed their borders at the request of the United States and nearly all foreign officials, including U.N. and international aid workers, have left the country.

Taliban forces have been reinforcing their positions along the border with Pakistan, prompting similar moves by the Pakistani military. A column of about seven tanks loaded on flatbed trucks could be seen Sunday moving toward the border from the northwestern Pakistani city Peshawar, according to witnesses.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks and U.S. threats of retaliation, thousands of Afghans are believed on the move, seeking shelter outside cities. Pakistan, Tajikistan and Iran have closed their borders with Afghanistan, leaving tens of thousands of destitute Afghans stranded on their side of the frontier, many without enough food.

Because so many people have left Kabul, Taliban police have stepped up security patrols in the streets to prevent looting of abandoned houses. Taliban police arrested five people Sunday for carrying weapons, according to Ahmedullah Ahmedi, the police chief.

The closing of Afghanistan's borders also has cut off food and medicine imports, leaving many shops, markets and hospitals with shortages.