Northern Alliance waiting for US air strikes in Tahar

HAJI BAHAUDDIN (Afghanistan), Oct 13 (UNI) The Tahar group of the Northern Alliance is waiting for US air raids against Taliban positions in this region so that it could advance and make some gains in the province.

According to informed sources in the Tahar group, Taliban was recently advancing its reserves to the front line, Novosti reports.

The Tahar group command believes that US air raids on suppressing the Taliban firing positions are "obviously late".

Last night, the Northern Alliances artillery was shelling the Taliban reserves deployed in Tahar.

The Northern Alliances command features a special role to the Tahar strike group in the operation on liberation of the Talukan city and the neighbouring northern province of Kunduz.

Presently, the Northern Alliance is secretly delivering reinforcement via mountainous Badakhshan to its troops currently deployed near the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Meanwhile, Taliban has claimed that last night its forces managed to recapture, from the Northern Alliance, Chikhcheran, the capital of the Afghan Province of Gor, a report from Islamabad said.

A report in "The News", referring to Taliban Consul General in Peshawar Najibullah, said that the fighting for the town had been fierce and that it was still continuing in the nearby Chikhcheran.

According to the Taliban spokesman, the Taliban offensive was commanded by Gor Governor Rahman who forced out the Northern Alliances troops commanded by former Herat Governor Ismail Khan.

Eighteen months ago, Ismail Khan managed to escape from Taliban imprisonment in Kandahar, lived in Iran and returned to Afghanistan this April joining the Northern Alliance to lead the resistance in three western provinces - Gor, Herat and Badgis.

The commander is supported by the local population.