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CNN Saturday Morning News

Northern Alliance Now Occupies Mazar-e Sharif

Aired November 10, 2001 - 09:02   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: Washington is weighing out the facts this morning in what could be a decisive development in the military action in Afghanistan. We're told that opposition fighters have taken over a key city on the northern supply route. The Northern Alliance now occupies Mazar-e Sharif. The Taliban say their forces have withdrawn to Pul-e-Khumri, the south (sic), to regroup.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is covering developments from nearby, and he joins us now live with more. Hi, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Yes, it appears that the Northern Alliance continues to hold Mazar-e Sharif, but part of the attempt by the alliance to keep that strategic northern Afghan city and also to widen its control of the northern part of the country seems to be going on right in this area where we are, which is called Dashtiqala.

Throughout the day, we've heard Northern Alliance artillery and rocket fire going over to the Taliban positions, and we've seen repeated sorties by U.S. war planes, including B-52s, dropping ordinance on the Taliban positions just about four or five kilometers from here.

Now, according to some here, it appears that this is actually an offensive that's been launched against the Taliban positions. One Northern Alliance commander claiming that as many as 70 tanks are engaged in the fighting.

We certainly have seen a good deal of fighting here in the distance, however, and in fact we've had to move down to this lower position because the Taliban forces were responding with some artillery of their own. One of the shells hit inside the town, hit a hut of some civilians. One was killed, and I believe several were wounded as well.

Also killed today was one Northern Alliance commander. Five of their soldiers were wounded in fighting that apparently is as much -- we can describe as trench-to-trench fighting.

So very much the focus here on trying to broaden the control of the Northern Alliance, of this very strategic area, and possibly to try to create some sort of continuous Northern Alliance-controlled territory in the north of the country -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Ben Wedeman, thank you so much. We'll be checking out -- we're checking in with you, rather, throughout the day.

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