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Taliban, government forces prepare for face-off
October 16, 1996
Web posted at: 10:15 a.m. EDT (1415 GMT)JABUL SARAJ, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Taliban and government forces engaged in sporadic fighting north of Kabul Wednesday, while both sides appeared to be preparing for a major battle for the Afghan capital.
The British Broadcasting Corp. said Tuesday that former government Defense Minister Ahmad Shah Masood had demanded that the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban withdraw from Kabul or face destruction. Taliban officials scoffed at the threat, saying they were more than capable of defending the city.
"This type of ultimatum dose not have any significance," acting information minister Amir Khan Mutaqi told Reuters. "If it had then we would not have set up our movement."
The Taliban swept across Afghanistan last month, taking control of two thirds of the country and pushing the ousted government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani out of Kabul. Masood rallied his forces in the Panjsher Valley, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Kabul.
Earlier in the week, Masood signed an agreement with Uzbek Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum to join forces against the Taliban. Dostum, who controls several provinces in northern Afghanistan, sent troops into Jabul Saraj, on the main highway between Kabul and the northern provinces.
Warplanes, presumably Taliban, fired on Jabul Saraj Tuesday and Wednesday, drawing anti-aircraft fire from the ground. Heavy artillery fire was heard Wednesday from the direction of the Baghram airfield, a military air base controlled by the Taliban.
Civilians were on the move along the road north from Kabul, looking for safety. But Kabul was quiet, and Taliban officials said there was no need for alarm.
"These militias who have been expelled from Kabul are the enemies of Afghans," said the Taliban's Mutaqi. "It's only a useless propaganda that they have launched, which won't affect the morale of the Taliban."
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Afghan warlord vows to join fight against Taliban - October 15, 1996
- Anti-Taliban forces plot strategy, push to retake Kabul - October 14, 1996
- Afghan clashes inflict heavy toll on civilians - October 12, 1996
- U.S. in a diplomatic hard place in dealing with Afghanistan's Taliban - October 8, 1996
- Who are the Taleban of Afghanistan? - October 5, 1996
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