Rebels Reportedly Take Parts of Capital

Afghanistan’s rebel Taliban Islamic militia reportedly captured parts of Kabul and the main government air base as defending forces appeared to be abandoning the besieged capital. At the United Nations in New York, the country’s deputy foreign minister confirmed earlier that government troops were leaving the capital and that President Burhanuddin Rabbani was considering transferring power. The minister, Abdul Rahim Ghafoorzai, said the country’s military commander, Ahmed Shah Masoud, had gone north of the city, taking with him jet fighters and other military hardware. Ghafoorzai said Rabbani was on the outskirts of the capital and would decide today about a “transfer of power.”