Taliban’s Latest Attack Aimed At Pass In Northern Afghanistan

Taliban soldiers and their enemies sent rockets slamming into the mountains of northern Afghanistan on Thursday, in a fierce fight for the strategic tunnel that links the two halves of the country.

From their base at Janghal Bagh, about 50 miles north of the capital, Taliban soldiers blasted enemy positions in what they said was an all-out offensive to take the Salang Pass.

The pass, which cuts through the Hindu Kush Mountains, was being defended by soldiers loyal to ousted military chief Ahmed Shah Massood, who blew up its northern end last week as thousands of Taliban soldiers were passing through.

There were reports that about 100 soldiers of the Taliban Islamic army were trapped inside the tunnel, but they could not be confirmed. However, hundreds of fresh Taliban fighters poured into the area saying they had been sent in to free their trapped comrades.

While dozens of rockets slammed into the nearby mountains, Taliban fighters repaired a bridge over the Ghorband River, north of Janghal Bagh, so they could march northward toward the Salang Pass.

“We finished repairs on the bridge today and sent fresh troops toward the Hindu Kush,” said a Taliban commander, Haji Mohammed Jan. “We will launch our offensive very soon.”