Northern Alliance closing in on Taliban stronghold
The Northern Alliance claims to be closing in on the last Taliban stronghold in the north of Afghanistan.
The push comes after claims the opposition has captured the most important city in western Afghanistan, Herat.
Fighting has also broken out along parts of the front line north of Kabul.
Opposition spokesman Mohammed Abil said soldiers on the front line in Herat reported by radio that the city had fallen.
If true, the fall of Herat would be yet another significant gain by the opposition, which has taken much of northern Afghanistan, when Taliban troops abandoned the key city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
The speed of the Taliban collapse, which began with the fall of Mazar-e-Sharif, suggests that many local commanders and Taliban fighters are switching sides rather than offering stiff resistance.
Herat is the most valuable prize in western Afghanistan. It also sits on the main road that heads south to the Taliban's spiritual headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar.
