| Forces now more loyal than ever to Hamid Karzai said they have taken the district of Kargia from the Taliban as they advanced from the north on Kandahar city. Despite the backing of the aerial bombardments, opposition forces were stalled in their advance on the Kandahar airport by a heavy Taliban counter-attack. "We pulled our boys out on the advice of the Americans as they were bombing Taliban who were so close to us," said a source, who is close to Gul Agha. "Their bombing could have injured our fighters." The troops retreated to Uruzgan bridge, about two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the airport. The United Nations estimates that 2000 people are fleeing the province for Pakistan daily. |