Taliban foes claim capture of third province

ISLAMABAD, NOV. 10. The Afghan opposition claimed the capture of a third province today as the Taliban militia staged a strategic withdrawal from the far north of the embattled country.

A spokesman for opposition commander, Atta Mohammad said the anti-Taliban forces had swept into Sar-e-Pul province following the capture of Samangan and Balkh earlier in the day.

``Dostam's forces have gone towards Shebraghan but we don't know what's going on there,'' he said, referring to the advance of Uzbek opposition warlord, Abdul Rashid Dostam towards his traditional heartland in Jauzjan province, neighbouring Balkh to the West.

The Taliban denied the latest opposition gains.

``We are in full control of Samangan, Jauzjan and Sar-e-Pul,'' a Taliban official told the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP).

The official confirmed that the Taliban had pulled out last night from Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh near the Uzbekistan border, but dismissed opposition claims that 1,500 of its fighters had surrendered.

``Not a single Taliban soldier was arrested in Mazar-i-Sharif. The opposition claim is false,'' he told AIP. ``The opposition did not take the city by force because there was no fighting.'' He said the withdrawal from Mazar-i-Sharif was a calculated and disciplined military operation, hinting that a counter-attack was in the making. ``There is nothing to worry about and the results of the Taliban move will be good.''

- AFP

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