Taliban wants UN help for refugees
The Taliban has pleaded for UN help for refugees inside Afghanistan, as US heavy bombers hammer front line positions.
Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban's Ambassador to Pakistan, says US bombing has driven thousands of people from their homes.
He says the situation has been made worse because Pakistan will not allow refugees into its territory. Calling on the UN for help inside Afghan territory, Zaeef said Afghanistan is co-operating with the world body.
The UN has been reluctant to operate inside Afghanistan because of security concerns and has been trying to persuade Pakistan to open its borders to more refugees who could be cared for on Pakistani soil.
Zaeef said the only threat to UN operations in Afghanistan was American bombs.
Taliban diplomats in Islamabad reported air attacks on positions defending the Taliban-held cities of Mazar-e-Sharif and Taloqan.
An opposition attack in the area was reported to be faltering hours after it began on Sunday. B-52 bombers struck at three separate sites about 30 miles northeast of Taloqan, near the country's northern border with Tajikistan.
Taloqan served as the opposition capital until Taliban troops overran it in September 2000, a major setback for the northern alliance.
Retaking it would open a supply route from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but the alliance has not made little progress despite the US bombing, now in its fifth week.
