'Taliban forces abandon Kabul'

Taliban military forces appeared to have deserted the capital of Kabul at dawn today after a series of stunning military victories by opposition forces over the past four days, witnesses said.

Sporadic small arms fire from hills overlooking the city could be heard but the streets were empty of the Taliban soldiers who had been there hours earlier.

From the rooftop of the Intercontinental Hotel on a hill overlooking the city, columns of Taliban vehicles could be seen heading south, beginning last night.

Northern Alliance forces began moving into the city in pickup trucks loaded with soldiers armed with rifles and rocket launchers, but there was no firing.