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| Afghanistan |
| Talib commander: More defections to come |
| 2001-10-11 |
Rebel troops have made some advances in other parts of the country in the days since the U.S. assault began, even as the Kabul front lines remained unchanged. Perhaps the most significant was the defection of local fighters who control the main road used by the Taliban to supply its fighters in the north. The commander who led the mass desertion said in an interview today that more would soon follow. Nuridin Ahmady said he brought about 35 commanders and 1,000 men with him from the Taliban side, believing that the government had sold out to foreigners such as Pakistan. Ahmady, 28, said he first contacted the Northern Alliance about switching two months ago, 21 days after the Taliban killed his brother. Ahmady's decision in effect allows the Northern Alliance to cut the main Taliban supply route and help it link isolated forces that have been fighting in different parts of the country for years. In the next two or three days, Ahmady said, he would begin moving his troops in an effort to provide a bridge for separate alliance units in the center of the country. He also predicted that 25 other commanders, along with 800 or 900 troops in nearby areas, would abandon the Taliban for the Northern Alliance in the next few days. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |