North Alliance Forces Occupy Two Regions In Afghanistan's North

North Alliance forces occupied two regions Saturday in the north of the country, reported Qatar TV station Al Jazeera with reference to a North Alliance foreign ministry official. According to the RIA Novosti correspondent, the foreign ministry representative said a region in the Balkh province 60 km to the south west of Mazar-i-Sharif was occupied. 80 Taliban were killed and some 2,000 captured. Al Jazeera also reports Northern Alliance detachments guided by field commander Muhammed Att seized after a three-hour-long combat the region of Kobruk 70 km to the south of Mazar-i-Sharif. The Northern Alliance statement stresses 800 Taliban who held positions in that region passed on the side of the alliance forces on the eve of the offensive.