• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=11/15/98
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-241700
TITLE=AFGHAN FIGHTING (L)
BYLINE=ALI ZAIDI
DATELINE=ISLAMABAD
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 
INTRO:  OPPOSITION FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN SAY THEY HAVE MADE 
FURTHER GAINS IN FIGHTING AGAINST TALEBAN FORCES IN THE NORTH OF 
THE COUNTRY, BUT THE TALEBAN DENY HAVING LOST ANY GROUND.  ALI 
ZAIDI REPORTS FROM ISLAMABAD.
TEXT:  THE AFGHAN ISLAMIC PRESS (A-I-P) QUOTES SOURCES CLOSE TO 
OPPOSITION COMMANDER AHMED SHAH MASOOD SAYING HIS SIDE HAS 
CAPTURED MORE KEY NORTHERN DISTRICTS FROM TALEBAN FORCES.
THE SOURCES SAY COMMANDER MASOOD'S FIGHTERS HAVE PUSHED THE 
TALEBAN OUT OF THE STRATEGIC TOWN OF NAHREEN IN BAGHLAN PROVINCE,
AND ALSO CAPTURED DASHT-E-ARCHI IN KUNDUZ PROVINCE.
THE OPPOSITION ALSO CLAIMS TO HAVE CAPTURED PARTS OF KHANABAD AND
EMAM SAHIB DISTRICTS IN KUNDUZ.  SOURCES SAY A LARGE NUMBER OF 
TALEBAN FIGHTERS WERE KILLED OR CAPTURED DURING THIS LATEST SURGE
BY OPPOSITION FORCES.
A TALEBAN SPOKESMAN CONFIRMS FIGHTING WAS CONTINUING IN THESE 
AREAS, BUT DENIES HIS SIDE HAS LOST GROUND.  A-I-P REPORTS THE 
TALEBAN DISPATCHED HUNDREDS OF REINFORCEMENTS (SUNDAY) TO KUNDUZ 
PROVINCE AND OTHER NORTHERN FRONTLINES FROM KABUL.
AFGHAN ANALYSTS SAY THE SUCCESS OF THE ANTI-TALEBAN FORCES IN 
RECENT DAYS HAS BEEN HELPED BY THE DEFECTION OF SEVERAL KEY LOCAL
COMMANDERS IN THE NORTHERN PROVINCES. 
SHIFTING ALLIANCES HAVE BEEN A CONSTANT FACTOR IN AFGHANISTAN'S 
LONG CIVIL WAR.  IN THE PAST MONTH, COMMANDER MASOOD'S FORCES 
HAVE MANAGED TO RE-CAPTURE KEY FORMER STRONGHOLDS WHICH THEY HAD 
LOST TO THE TALEBAN EARLIER IN THE YEAR.  FRONTLINES NOW APPEAR 
SIMILAR TO THOSE OF LAST YEAR.
BUT ANALYSTS SAY THE STAKES FOR COMMANDER MASOOD ARE MUCH HIGHER 
THIS TIME.  THE DISTRICTS CAPTURED BY THE OPPOSITION IN THE PAST 
FEW DAYS FORM CRUCIAL LINKS IN THE SUPPLY ROUTES FOR COMMANDER 
MASOOD'S FORCES HOLDING FRONTLINES AGAINST THE TALEBAN IN THE 
PANJSHER VALLEY AND NORTH OF KABUL.
WITH AFGHANISTAN'S HARSH WINTER FAST APPROACHING, CONTROL OF 
THESE ROUTES IS CRITICAL FOR THE OPPOSITION.  WITH PRACTICALLY 
ALL OTHER ANTI-TALEBAN GROUPS HAVING BEEN DEFEATED, COMMANDER 
MASOOD'S FORCES ARE THE LAST HURDLE IN THE WAY OF COMPLETE 
TALEBAN CONTROL OF AFGHANISTAN.   (SIGNED)
NEB/AZ/RAE
15-Nov-98 8:35 AM EST (1335 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.