The battle for Mazar-i-Sharif will be remembered for three reasons. It was here in northern Afghanistan that the Northern Alliance with the crucial help of American Special Forces won the first decisive victory against the Taliban. It was also here that the first American was killed in combat during a prison uprising and another American was captured for fighting alongside the enemy.
The prisoners were hard-core Taliban consisting of Pakistanis, Chechens and Arabs loyal to Osama bin Laden. Hundreds of enemy fighters took part in the riot, which was put down with U.S. airstrikes and soldiers of the Northern Alliance. During the battle Special Forces troops called in air strikes on the prison compound and close to their own positions as they tried to rout the enemy forces.
It took three days of heavy fighting to retake the city. About 400 enemy were killed after refusing to surrender. "They were all killed and very few were arrested," said a Northern Alliance spokesman. |
