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CNN Live At Daybreak

Taliban and Northern Alliance Both Claim Control of Herat

Aired November 12, 2001 - 05:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, today's edition of the "Washington Post" has a glimpse of how new freedoms are affecting people in Mazir-e-Sharif.

Northern Alliance forces retook the northern Afghan city Friday, ending more than two years of Taliban rule. There are already signs of the advent of a more tolerant form of Islam. The "Post" reports women have been seen without veils in public and have been worshipping at mosques. Authorities are planning to reopen schools and the city's TV station is preparing to go back on the air.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That didn't take very long, did it?

Well, maybe the same thing is happening in Herat. The Northern Alliance is claiming that they have taken control of that city. However, the Taliban is claiming the exact opposite of that.

Let's check in now with our Kamal Hyder. He's in Kandahar. He's got the latest on the situation for us -- hello, Kamal.

KAMAL HYDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon.

The Taliban are saying that Herat is still with them. They said that they spoke to their personnel in Herat and they said that it was within Taliban control. Also, some news coming out, the Taliban having launched a counter-offensive in Badivish (ph) and taken some area.

Now, apparently all over Afghanistan you see the redrawing of the front lines, and as the situation stands at the moment, it would mean the 1997 front lines between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, then, Kamal, if you're saying the Taliban is mounting counter-offensives then I suppose, has there been any evidence at all of any defections? We've been seeing evidence now that the Northern Alliance has taken over some major supply routes into the Taliban. Any evidence that the Taliban will might be weakening at any point?

HYDER: Well, the evacuation, forced evacuation or strategic evacuation from Mazir-e-Sharif was a severe blow to the Taliban. Losing territory south of Mazir-e-Sharif would be critical to the Taliban because that is their logistical supply line through Bamian. They have a very torturous route, and pulling out such a large force from the north entails its own problems.

Right now for the Taliban, the only option is to withdraw as many forces from the north without heavy attrition. That seems to be the case at the moment for the Taliban.

As far as defections are concerned, we have no evidence here to suggest that any Taliban have started to defect in large numbers. They say they remain committed to fighting this war and they say that the overall withdrawal from the north is a strategic withdrawal because they cannot hope to keep that without logistical supply lines -- Leon.

HARRIS: Interesting.

Kamal Hyder reporting live for us this morning from Kandahar, Afghanistan. Thank you very much. Stay safe.

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