The authorities in Uzbekistan have removed the barricades from the bridge linking their frontier to Afghanistan, prompting speculation that the border may reopen. The bridge at the garrison city of Termez was sealed last year, severing trade and supplies of humanitarian aid to Mazar-e-Sharif. Mazar is the biggest city in North Afghanistan and stronghold of the anti-Taleban alliance. From Uzbekistan, Monica Whitlock reports:

The Termez bridge is the main artery between Central Asia and North Afghanistan, but the Uzbeks blocked it with tanks and concrete slabs - in effect sealing the border - last year. Now the authorities have cleared the way and it looks like the corridor may reopen.

For all humanitarian agencies, it means grain and other supplies might again reach Mazar-e-Sharif, the main distribution point for the north. Equally important is fuel and trade.

Mazar is traditionally a merchant city, a crossroads for goods from as far afield as China and Iraq. If this important route does indeed open up, the northern Afghans will be delighted - they've been trying to persuade Tashkent to reconnect Mazar with the outside world and see the shifting of the barricades as a vote of confidence.

But the Uzbeks will still be treading carefully. They blocked the bridge after fighting and political upheavals in North Afghanistan when their old ally, the commander General Dostam, temporarily fled the country eight months ago.

Now the north is relatively calm, but the future is unpredictable. The authorities have given no statement about easing restrictions and they may still change their minds.