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American Morning

Northern Alliance Claims To Have Captured Town Near Mazar-e- Sharif

Aired November 06, 2001 - 10:31   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Want to give you a bit more perspective, though, on the ground with what's happening in Northern Afghanistan. CNN's Satinder Bindra, one of the many correspondents we have in the area, he filed this report a short time ago.

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- the ground, Northern Alliance forces claiming they've captured the town of Kishindae (ph). They say five Taliban commanders, along with 400 of their men defected. The Northern Alliance also claiming they've captured two tanks and two anti-aircraft guns. Earlier in the day, the Northern Alliance saying that they had captured the district of Zari (ph). Both the Zari (ph) and Kishindae (ph) are just south of the city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

Of course, it's not possible to independently verify these claims, but the Northern Alliance's foreign minister, Doctor Abdullah, saying that his forces are just about 20 kilometers south of Mazar-e- Sharif. He did stress, though, there is a problem of supplying them. Also, at this point, he says, there has to be better coordination between the United States and Northern Alliance forces.

He says he expects this campaign will go on for several more weeks, and today, for the first time, in a substantial change in his position, he does say that this fighting should also go on during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is coming up in just more than a week from now.

HEMMER: Satinder Bindra reporting on the ground in Northern Afghanistan. November 17th to mark the calender for the beginning of that Muslim holy month.

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