From: Barry Stoller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- Ananova (with additional material by BBC). 22 November 2001. Taliban surrender talks collapse. The Taliban face the threat of losing its final stronghold in northern Afghanistan as the Northern Alliance unleashed a major assault on the city of Kunduz. Talks between Alliance commanders and the Taliban defenders aimed at securing its surrender appear to have broken down, despite an earlier apparent agreement. The news prompted fears of a bloody last stand by some 3,000 foreign fighters holed up inside the city with an estimated Taliban garrison of 15,000 men. Northern Alliance commanders have repeatedly warned it will show no mercy to the foreigners - mainly Arabs, Pakistanis and Chechens - who are deeply hated by the Afghans. The apparent failure of surrender talks prompted concern in Western capitals their Northern Alliance allies could be about to slaughter thousands of the enemy. However, British Sky News earlier showed television pictures of hundreds of Taleban fighters laying down their weapons. Tony Blair's official spokesman said the Government hoped that a "bloodbath" could be avoided. "What we have made clear all along is that the Northern Alliance and others should behave in a way that avoids atrocities," the spokesman said. "Thankfully, so far the predictions of bloodbaths elsewhere have not been realised. We hope that remains the case." At the same time, he said that the fighters, many loyal to Osama bin Laden's al Qaida organisation, must not be allowed to walk away "only to materialise in a new place in some other form." [!] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews with continuing coverage of WWIII _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
