Taliban, North Alliance Fight Near Tajik BorderThe Russian troops guarding Tajik borders Sunday noticed heavy clashes between Afghanistan's North Alliance and the ruling Taliban movement on Afghan territory close to the Tajik border, Russian news agencies reported.The Northern Alliance and Taliban forces have combated on the Imam-Sahib direction with artillery, tanks and small arms since weekend, the press said. No hits on Tajik territory by the warring parties' shells and bullets have been noticed, it said. On Saturday, fierce exchanges of fire were observed in Afghanistan by Russia's Pyandzh border detachment, based 160 kilometers southeast of the Tajik capital Dushanbe. Up to 15,000 Taliban troops are currently located in the northern Afghan provinces of Takhor and Kunduz, five to ten kilometers from the Tajik border, the Russian military said. |
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