DATE=8/6/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=AFGHAN / FIGHTING (L) (CQ)
NUMBER=2-252550
BYLINE=SCOTT ANGER
DATELINE=KABUL
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Taleban forces in Afghanistan are moving
reinforcements to the battlefront, north of Kabul -- a
day after opposition fighters regained territory they
lost last week, during massive Taleban offensive. As
V-O-A's Scott Anger reports from Kabul, military
activity in the capital seems to indicate that another
Taleban offensive is likely soon.
TEXT: Taleban tanks and armored personnel carriers
rumbled out of Kabul, early Friday, to reinforce the
front lines against advancing opposition forces led by
commander Ahmed Shah Masood. Helicopters and fighter
jets could be heard flying over the capital. In a
swift counter-offensive launched late Wednesday,
opposition fighters have pushed the Taleban back to
the front lines near Guldara -- about 30 kilometers
north of Kabul.
The opposition has re-taken Gulbahar, Jabul Saraj and
Charikar, in addition to the key air base at Bagram.
The Taleban say they have made a tactical retreat from
the towns they had captured last week. Still, they
say they still hold strategic peaks surrounding
Bagram.
The Taleban began an offensive against the remaining
opposition in Afghanistan over a week ago, sweeping
north from the capital, overtaking a number of towns
and driving opposition fighters back into their
stronghold in the Panjsher Valley. The opposition
says its retreat to its headquarters, last week,
allowed it to strengthen its forces -- paving the way
for a counter-offensive against the hard-line Islamic
movement.
The recent opposition gains have dealt a blow to the
Taleban's plan for finally gaining control of the
remaining 10 percent of Afghanistan. Since capturing
Kabul in 1996, the Taleban have fought to spread their
strict form of Islam throughout the country.
There is no independent confirmation of casualties
from the recent fighting, but the opposition says it
has captured or killed hundreds of Taleban soldiers.
Meanwhile, opposition Commander Masood has offered
peace talks to the Taleban -- saying the Afghan
conflict can only be solved through negotiations, not
through war. (Signed)
NEB/SA/WD/WTW
06-Aug-1999 10:08 AM EDT (06-Aug-1999 1408 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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