Northern Alliance forces surround suburb of Kunduz

(25 Nov 2001)

Khanabad - 15 km east of Kunduz
1. Wide shot Khanabad
2. Northern Alliance soldiers by road
3. Northern Alliance soldiers with jeep/rocket launcher
4. Northern Alliance Soldiers with rifles, rocket launchers
5: Various jeeps and trucks carrying local Taliban defectors
6. Wide shot presser with General Mohammed Daoud
7. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) General Mohammed Daoud, Northern Alliance Commander
"Three planes have already landed in Kunduz and picked up Arab nationals and taken them to Pakistan."
8. Cutaway press
9. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) General Mohammed Daoud, Northern Alliance Commander
"We have no agreement with foreign Taliban fighters except our understanding with the local Taliban that they should control the foreigners."
10. Northern Alliance infantry moving up to encircle foreign fighters left in Khanabad
11. Various of Northern Alliance fighters load rocket propelled grenades onto Armoured vehicles
12. Various of tanks moving up to encircle Khanabad

STORYLINE:

Northern Alliance fighters have surrounded the suburb of Khanabad which lies 15km east of Kunduz.

The suburb was defended by local Taliban and foreign fighters, but now the local Taliban soldiers have defected, leaving the foreign fighters alone to defend the suburb.

Northern Alliance commander, General Mohammed Daoud claimed at a press conference on Sunday that three planes had landed in Kunduz and ferried out Arab fighters from the area to Pakistan.

But the US military, which controls the air space around Kunduz, says there is no possibility of any plane landing there.

General Mohammed Daoud claims he has promised a safe passage for surrendering Afghan Talibans and has an understanding with them that they will try and persuade foreign fighters to surrender - but no direct agreement has been made with the foreign fighters.

Despite gaining a foothold in Kunduz, the alliance did not secure the city by nightfall as it had hoped, and militant holdouts remained a menace.

The fall of Kunduz would mark the loss of the Taliban's last garrison in the north of Afghanistan, leaving the Islamic militia with a stronghold only in the southern city of Kandahar.

Over the past three weeks, the Taliban have lost three-quarters of their territory and the capital, Kabul.

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