Northern Alliance blast valley troops

The Northern Alliance launched an attack on one of the last remaining pockets of terrorist forces 30km south of Kabul laying down a heavy artillery and rocket barrage on an estimated 1,500 enemy troops trapped in a valley.

The attack was launched from Maidan Shah by Haji Sher Allam after two days of negotiations for a Taliban surrender fell through. Allam a Pashtun tribesman loyal to the Northern Alliance had tried through local intermediaries to persuade the Taliban commander dug in on a ridge a mile west of Maidan Shah to surrender. But at first light this morning the negotiations fell through and the fighting erupted.

In the early stages of the battle six rockets from the Taliban crashed into Maidan Shah wounding six civilians. The Northern Alliance this morning appeared to have the upper hand but there was no sign of US air support.