Mohmad Saber, left, lives in Bluchkhil, Afghanistan, near the front line, with his wife and son. “We are happy that every country is helping us to get rid of the Taliban,” he says. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
In the town of Javel-os-Saraj, Afghanistan, Fizaha, 5, carries food home for his family’s donkey. He lives on the edge of Northern Alliance territory. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
Northern Alliance soldiers in Bluchkhil watch a plane they believe to be an American B-52 bomber cross over the front line. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
A plane crosses Bluchkhil. Afghan soldiers below say it’s an American jet. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
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At the entrance to the Bagram Airbase barracks, a sign reads “Massoud is a hero. Your ways will continue.” Ahmed Shah Massoud was the key military commander of the Northern Alliance. Massoud was assassinated two days before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and the assassins are believed to have been sent by bin Laden. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
A donkey is tied outside the Bagram Airbase barracks. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
From the roof of a Bluchkhil home, Northern Alliance soldiers can see Taliban forces stationed 1 1/2 miles away. Soldiers sleep on the roof at night. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
Girls carry water back to their home in Jabal-os-Saraj in northern Afghanistan. The children of Jabal-os-Saraj are used to war. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
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Northern Alliance soldiers gather next to a military jeep. All military vehicles carry a portrait of Ahmed Shah Massoud, the Alliance’s former commander. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
Tanks in the Northern Alliance territory stand ready for use. (CAROLYN COLE / Los Angeles Times)
