Commander Mahmoud Surkha of the
Northern Alliance defects to the
Taliban claiming dissatisfaction with
Russian interference in the
resistance movement. The Northern Alliance denies the allegation but says that it has the right to seek
international assistance as the recognized
government of
Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan becomes the latest
Central Asian country to relax its attitude to the Taliban
regime when it announces it will establish regular contact with the
Islamic administration.
Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan have already expressed a willingness to talk to the regime.
