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Afghanistan: U.S. Air Strikes Continue On Kondoz Despite Surrender Talks
Wednesday, November 21, 2001
By Ron Synovitz
Radio Free Europe & Radio Liberty

U.S. war planes are continuing to bomb the besieged Taliban enclave of Kondoz in northern Afghanistan today, as well as suspected Taliban targets near the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. As talks continue on a possible surrender of local Taliban fighters from Kondoz, a senior U.S. military official announced the deployment of gunships in Uzbekistan -- a location that will allow them to more easily attack Kunduz.

Prague, Czech Republic -- RFE/RL
Northern Alliance officials say they have suspended a ground assault on the besieged city of Kondoz while talks continue on the possible surrender of local Taliban fighters trapped there.

Western correspondents near Kondoz report that opposition General Abdul Rashid Dostum has offered to meet some Taliban commanders at Mazar-i-Sharif to discuss a proposed amnesty and surrender. No time frame for that meeting has been confirmed, but the reports say Dostum is refusing to negotiate with any members of the Al-Qaeda network or with pro-Taliban foreigners.

At least 10,000 Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters are thought to be surrounded at Kondoz since they fled there from Mazar-i-Sharif earlier this month. Washington has confirmed that a significant number of Arabs, Pakistanis, and Chechens are trapped there.

Taliban defectors are quoted as saying foreign Al-Qaeda hard-liners at Kondoz have been executing local Taliban fighters who try to surrender. The Northern Alliance says as many as 30,000 pro-Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters are trapped within the encirclement.
(More: RFERL.org News Source)
2001 © Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.

Dan