Afghanistan's opposition Northern Alliance was advancing today toward the Uzbek border in the north after seizing the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif and a province to the south.
A spokesman for former communist General Abdul Rashid Dostum said more territory was set to fall to opposition forces, following their first major victory since the US-led military campaign began 35 days ago.
Earlier today, on another front, a US B-52 aircraft carpet-bombed Taliban positions north of Kabul, a Reuterstelevision cameraman said.
With the noose tightening around the Taliban forces in northern Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, their "guest" and object of the military campaign, made the startling claim that he had nuclear weapons, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported.