Taliban Forces Flee Afghan Stronghold
NATO, Local Troops Retake Key Town in Southern Province

By Danica Kirka
Associated Press
Tuesday, December 11, 2007

KABUL, Dec. 10 -- Hundreds of Taliban fighters fled in trucks and on motorbikes Monday as Afghan and international troops fought their way into the only important town controlled by the hard-line Islamic movement.

Afghan officers reported that some fighters, possibly members of al-Qaeda, were still resisting in the center of Musa Qala, in the southern province of Helmand. They said the attacking force controlled the town but was moving toward the center slowly because streets had been booby-trapped with improvised bombs.

A Taliban spokesman confirmed that the insurgents had retreated from Musa Qala, which they had held since February, and Afghanistan's president said the successful attack was aided by some local Taliban leaders switching their allegiance to his government.

Visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown predicted that developments in Musa Qala would have positive long-term results, and the success boosted hopes that the Afghan government could expand into a key opium-producing area where it now wields little influence.

But Musa Qala has bounced back and forth between government and Taliban control despite the presence of British troops nearby, and it is unclear whether overstretched Afghan and NATO troops can hold the town.

About 7,000 British soldiers have faced fierce battles in northern Helmand province this year. The world's largest opium poppy-growing region, it provides the Taliban with tens of millions of dollars.

President Hamid Karzai said the decision to enter Musa Qala came after local Taliban commanders agreed to side with the Afghan government because of brutalities committed against townspeople by the Taliban, al-Qaeda and foreign fighters.

At least 10 Taliban fighters were reported killed Monday, in addition to more than a dozen killed since clashes intensified Friday.

An Afghan army commander, Brig. Gen. Gul Agha Naebi, said that Musa Qala had been surrounded and that the attacking force was 500 yards from the town center.

"The bombing continues. The area is big," he said, adding that streets would be cleared of mines on Tuesday. "Both sides are still exchanging fire. There is still resistance from the Taliban. I think these are foreign fighters, al-Qaeda members, that we are facing. They are trying to create ways for retreat."