Taliban And Pushtun Tribal Volunteers Clash Around Kandahar

Fighting between the Taliban and tribal volunteers, (militia) made up of local Pushtuns, has been taking place around Kandahar and close to the Pakistan border by the town of Takhtapul. Pushtun commanders are being supported by the airforce and US marines. The newspaper "News" claimed that witnesses, who had arrived in Quetta (administrative centre of the Pakistani province of Baluchistan), had stated that Kandahar is surrounded and all roads leading to Pakistan have been cut off by Pushtun commanders. The Arghandab region near Kandahar is already in the hands of the Pushtuns and near Takhtapul the destruction is continuing. According to witnesses, the town's airport is occupied by field commander Feda Muhammada's troops. In addition, the former Kandahar mayor, a supporter and leader of the Pushtun tribe Popolzai, Hamid Karzai, who is supporting the ex-king Zahir Shah, has taken the town of a Arghestan, 70km to the East of Kandahar and is heading towards the last Taliban stronghold in the South of the country. American marines, more than a 1000 troops, are also slowly closing in on Kandahar. According to several sources, US armoured personnel carriers are patrolling the Dolanghi airport region approximately 90km to the South-West of Kandahar. For the second day the town of Spinbuldak, 7km from the Pakistan border, is in the hands of the Pushtun leaders from the Nurzai tribe, the Taliban handed over the town without a fight. The American airforce has not ceased the large-scale bombing of Kandahar and Taliban positions in and around the town. They have been carried out all night and this morning.