Afghan rebels call on US to accelerate bombing

US planes have dropped dozens of bombs on the Taliban front line north of Kabul.

Taliban soldiers fought back with anti-aircraft guns after several days of holding their fire.

Northern Alliance leaders are now calling on the US to accelerate the bombing.

Colonel Zia Hauddin, an opposition commander, said the Taliban had reinforced the front line with about 2,000 troops, mostly Arab and Pakistani volunteers and called on the US to accelerate the bombing.

Both sides gave conflicting accounts of fierce fighting around the Taliban controlled city of Mazar-e-Sharif, cornerstone of the Islamic militia's control of the north.

The US air campaign has been instrumental to the advance of the opposition Northern Alliance towards the city, and the Taliban's Bakhtar News Agency reported heavy overnight bombing in the Kishanday district, south of Mazar-e-Sharif.

Northern Alliance spokesman Ashraf Nadeem said commanders were so sure of victory now that they had met to discuss how to storm Mazar-e-Sharif without destroying the city.

Elsewhere, US jets and B-52 bombers repeatedly hit Taliban targets overnight and early this morning north of Kabul and around Kandahar, the Taliban headquarters.

Witnesses reported about 30 bombs landing near Bagram, the site of an air base north of Kabul controlled by anti-Taliban forces. The opposition has not been able to use the air field because of the proximity of Taliban troops.