Magnum Photos for Newsweek
12 November, 2001
Northern Alliance troops scatter in an ambush by retreating Taliban forces. The attack came on as Northern Alliance forces mounted a final offensive to capture the capital Kabul, held by the fundamentalist Taliban since 1996. On the northern front, 25km from the city, they encountered little resistance until the sudden ambush. Afghanistan's internal clashes intensified in October, following a bombing campaign on Taliban targets led by the US and Britain. Sporadic fighting had continued in the country as the Northern Alliance vowed to overthrow the Taliban regime.
