US bombing 'kills' Taleban chief

There has been fierce fighting in the area for days

Opposition forces in Afghanistan say a key Taleban commander has been killed in American bombing raids near the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

Northern Alliance commanders are jubilant about what they say is the death of the commander, Gulgarai, and about 48 Pakistani militants, reports BBC Afghanistan correspondent Kate Clark.

Earlier, Northern Alliance forces said they were advancing towards Mazar-e-Sharif after heavy US bombing helped weaken Taleban defences.

They said their troops had entered the district of Sholgera, about 60 km (36 miles) south-west of the city.

The Taleban have yet to comment on the commander's reported death.

Pashtun commander

Gulgarai was one of the local Pashtun commanders who defected to the Taleban in 1997, allowing them briefly to capture Mazar.

	LATEST STRIKES: Northern Alliance says it has gained ground south of Mazar-e-Sharif Heavy bombing of Taleban front lines along Tajikistan border and north of Kabul US now carrying out 120 attack sorties daily

He had a bad reputation for human rights abuses and would probably have fought to the last, if necessary, because defection to the Alliance was not an option, says Kate Clark.

Reports of Gulgarai's death came after the Alliance said on Tuesday it had won control of three other districts, south of Sholgera, as a week of see-saw battles continued.

But the Taleban have disputed this, and an official told the French news agency AFP that their forces were preparing to counter-attack.

"God willing we will be able to recapture all lost territories in a very short time," he said.

Caution

The US, which has stepped up its bombing of Taleban front lines to encourage a Northern Alliance offensive, was cautious about the reports.

Alliance leaders say the US can still do more

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said: "There are so many reports about this village or that village. I like to let the dust settle."

Mazar-e-Sharif lies on important supply routes to neighbouring Uzbekistan. If the Northern Alliance won control of the area it could become a bridge-head for US ground forces.

US bombing

American bombers returned to attack Taleban positions near Afghanistan's north-eastern border with Tajikistan on Wednesday - the seventh time in 11 days.

There were also reports of strikes north of the capital Kabul.

The Taleban are reported to be carrying out reprisals against any rebels they capture.

There are doubts about the Northern Alliance's fighting capabilities

The nephew of Abdul Haq - the mujahedin leader captured and executed by the Taleban last week - has himself been executed, a relative told Reuters news agency.

Abdul Haq and the nephew, Izzatullah, slipped into Afghanistan in October to muster support among ethnic Pashtuns for an uprising against the Taleban.

Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports about the whereabouts of another rebel leader, Hamid Karzai.

On Tuesday, Mr Rumsfeld said that at his request Mr Karzai had been extracted from Afghanistan with a small number of his fighters.

But Mr Karzai's brother, Ahmed Karzai, speaking from Pakistan, has told the BBC that Mr Karzai is still in Afghanistan.

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