ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: The Taliban have gained ground in fighting against opposition troops battling for days to advance on the key northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif, an opposition official conceded on Saturday.

The Taliban troops launched an offensive early on Friday to push back the Northern Alliance soldiers aiming to capture the strategic town.

“They have captured a small amount of territory, but we are still holding the Marmul area,” opposition spokesman Mohammad Habeel said, referring to a town and district some 30kms southeast of Mazar-i-Sharif.

However, Habeel said the situation was normal at the northern frontline on Saturday. “There was no fighting today.”

Years of skirmishes around Mazar-i-Sharif since the city fell to the Taliban in 1998 have solidified into more focused assaults in the last few days.

This has enabled fighters of the Northern Alliance to claim an advance toward the airport as 13 days of U.S. air raids take their toll on the Taliban.

Were the town and surrounding areas to fall, the opposition would be closer to opening up key supply routes running south toward Kabul.—Reuters