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CNN Sunday Morning

Northern Alliance Claims Significant Gains

Aired November 04, 2001 - 07:07   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Northern Alliance fighters say that the tide is turning in their war with the Taliban. Officials with the United Front say they dealt Taliban forces a major defeat and captured a significant piece of real estate.

CNN's Satinder Binder is covering the fighting in Northern Afghanistan, and he brings us up to date.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For hours on end, wave upon wave of U.S. bombers drop their munitions on frontline Taliban positions with deadly accuracy. One bomb, according to Northern Alliance or United Front troops watching the action scores a direct hit on a Taliban bunker. The only response from the Taliban, some anti-aircraft fire which appears ineffective against the high flying B-52 bombers.

This raid is the most intense since U.S. bombers first started striking this frontline near the Afghan/Tajik border about a week ago. Elsewhere, south west of these front lines, United Front troops say they have notched-up their most significant military victory of this campaign.

(on camera): United Front commanders claim their soldiers have now captured large tracts of the district of Aq-Kapruk, which is just south of the city of Mazar-e Sharif. After an intense three-hour battle, the United Front says 400 Taliban troops defected. Another 200, they say, surrendered.

(voice-over): The anti-Taliban coalition also says it captured large amounts of military hardware, including 50 Taliban pick-up trucks. None of these things can be independently verified. All the Taliban says their troops are still fighting in Aq-Kapruk. But United Front commanders say their fighters are now advancing toward the strategic city of Mazar-e Sharif, and it's time the U.S. acknowledged they are an effective fighting force.

GEN. ATIQULLAH BARYALAI, UNITED FRONT VICE DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): The capture of Aq-Kapruk will demoralize the Taliban. The people will also start trusting United Front fighters.

BINDRA: The United Front says what is significant about the Aq- Kapruk campaign was its ground troops were not helped by strikes from U.S. bombers.

BARYALAI (through translator): We have always said in the past that we had a military plan, and now we have shown that. It's because of this plan we captured Aq-Kapruk. Now, anyone who wants to work with our forces, we will cooperate and coordinate.

BINDRA: That message is clearly directed toward Washington, because if the United Front does capture Mazar, the U.S. too can use the city's airport to ferry in supplies and grab a strategic foothold with these United Front troops in northern Afghanistan.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, Aiy Hanam Hill, northeastern Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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