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American Morning

Taliban To Surrender Spin Boldak

Aired November 27, 2001 - 07:04   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Within the last hour, word out of Afghanistan that at least one Taliban commander is surrendering in Spin Boldak, a town near the Pakistani border.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in Chaman, Pakistan, which is near Spin Boldak -- Nic, what's the situation there right now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, it's an interesting story. This commander, Daoud Mohammad, gives us some -- what's happened to him gives us some insight into what's going on inside Afghanistan. Now, Commander Daoud Mohammad was commanding about 25 troops in the city of Kandahar. Just recently because of the security situation in Kandahar, he was reassigned to the border town of Spin Boldak behind me.

Just last night, the district administrator of Spin Boldak told him that he needed to -- that he should stand down from his post, that the 25 soldiers under his command did not want to fight the local tribal commanders, who have been trying to negotiate with the Taliban in the city, in the town of Spin Boldak. The local tribal commanders here want to take control of Spin Boldak away from the Taliban.

Now, the district administrator told Commander Daoud Mohammad that he should stand down his troops. Commander Daoud Mohammad told us that he paid off his soldiers and then allowed them to go back to their families. They laid down their weapons and went back to their families.

This is an interesting indication that local tribal commanders have allowed this type of surrender from the Taliban. What is unclear at this stage is what is happening in the rest of Spin Boldak. Twenty-five soldiers, 25 Taliban fighters is very unlikely to be the sum total of the Taliban's military force in Spin Boldak. So there are other commanders in the town of Spin Boldak.

Daoud Mohammad now has come into Pakistan and gone to join his family in Quetta inside Pakistan, an indication, though, perhaps because of these reports of negotiations going on with Taliban and tribal commanders, that perhaps the town of Spin Boldak is beginning to be handed over to these tribal commanders. However, it must be said that this is a developing situation. We do not yet have the full picture.

But what we are learning is giving us an insight into what's happening inside Afghanistan. Number one, that Commander Daoud Mohammad was reassigned from Kandahar to the border town and then told by the administrator last night of the town of Spin Boldak to stand down his troops -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic Robertson, thanks so much for that report.

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