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On the Story

Fighting Erupts Near Konduz After Announcement of Surrender

Aired November 22, 2001 - 09:16   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, from the home front to the war front -- the war in Afghanistan. Serious fighting has broken out near the Taliban stronghold of Konduz, and comes this is just after the Northern Alliance announced a surrender agreement with the Taliban.

CNN's Satinder Bindra joins us now. He is in Taloqan, which is near Konduz, and he's got the very latest -- Satinder.

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. I've just returned from the front, near Konduz, where I witnessed an intense attack by Northern Alliance forces against front line Taliban positions. Leon, in the space of about 30 minutes, I counted at least 10 patusha (ph) rockets being fired at the Taliban.

Now, in the same time period, I also counted more than 10, 122- millimeter artillery shells being fired. Northern Alliance commanders told me they were firing these at a front line Taliban position near a place called Choga (ph), which is on the way to Konduz.

And now, as all of this was also going on, we noticed hundreds of troops being rushed to the front, and I counted at least 12 tanks racing towards the front at breakneck speed.

Just before all of this happened, Leon, a senior Northern Alliance commander, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, was saying that the Taliban had agreed to surrender Konduz by Sunday. He said the local Taliban fighters, once they surrendered, will be free to go to their home provinces. But the hardcore Taliban fighters, the Arabs, the Chechens, the Pakistanis and the Taliban members will be -- quote -- "tried as war criminals."

Now, many here, on the Konduz battle front, don't believe that even after this agreement, the hardcore Taliban will surrender. So they are saying this short, but intense, attack by the Northern Alliance might be to send this hardcore contingent a message that if they don't live up to their word, they could face an intense attack by the Northern Alliance -- Leon.

HARRIS: That raises some very interesting questions though. Thank you very much, Satinder Bindra. It will remain to be seen whether or not those that are fighting there that are described as the hardcore, if you will, Taliban members from outside of the country of Afghanistan, who will refuse to submit to any surrender agreement. We'll keep our eye on that story and any development. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.