Taliban Army Hit by Surprise Assault
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The Taliban religious army came under surprise assault as it tried to move troops into the newly conquered north. Die-hard rival Ahmed Shah Masoud attacked from the Salang Highway, firing on Taliban fighters massed below. The Salang Highway is the gateway to the north through the rugged Hindu Kush mountains. Taliban jeeps could be seen ferrying injured soldiers back south to the capital, Kabul. It was a setback for the Taliban after their triumphant capture of Abdul Rashid Dostum’s northern empire. The weekend seizure of Dostum’s territory brought 90% of Afghanistan under Taliban control.
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