An Afghan Hazara opposition leader, who recently defected to the Taleban in the central Bamiyan province, says he wants to act as a bridge between his community and the Taleban.

Mohammed Akbari, former head of the breakaway faction of the mainly Shia Hezb-i-Wahdat party, said it was not clear whether the Taleban would give Shia Muslims a role in any future government but that he would discuss this issue with the Taleban leadership.

Meanwhile, fighting is continuing between the Taleban and the forces of the main opposition commander, Ahmed Shah Masood, north of the Salang tunnel near the towns of Khenjan and Nahrain.