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Northern Alliance confirms fall of stronghold

The Northern Alliance of ousted Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani has confirmed that the Taliban had seized control of the Alliance stronghold of Taloqan on 6 September after five weeks of fighting. Alliance spokesman Dr Abdullah told Iranian television it had withdrawn its forces in a tactical and orderly manner after the Taliban forces - which it said numbered over 10,000, including members of Pakistan’s regular military forces and other “foreign nationals”, such as a number of Arabs - had launched extensive attacks from the west, north and south of the city. “The Taliban forces’ resources, which include weapons, ammunition and fuel for aircraft, are all being provided by Pakistan. Their principal aim, especially in the last few days, is to influence the UN Summit,” Dr Abdullah told Iranian ‘Network 1’ television. The Taliban lost 500 soldiers in the fight for Taloqan, and the opposition about 300, according to Russian military sources cited by Associated Press agency (AP) on Friday. The Northern Alliance attache in Tajikistan, Mohammad Saleh Registani, said over 80 civilians had been killed or wounded in the fighting, Tajik media reported.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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