Alliance 'on way into Kandahar'

Kandahar, the Taliban's last stronghold in southern Afghanistan, has been breached by Northern Alliance forces, it is claimed.

"We have entered Kandahar," said Bismillah Khan, the Alliance's deputy defence minister, responding to reports reaching the capital Kabul late this afternoon. He said he had no details of the situation in the city and with western journalists banned the claim could not be independently verified.

Mr Khan said it was not clear whether any Taliban in Kandahar had surrendered or were challenging the advance. A commander of an anti-Taliban tribal force said his fighters were nearing the city as well. "Our forces are three miles east of Kandahar airport," Mohammed Jalal Khan said. "We hope to capture Kandahar soon." He gave no other details.

An unannounced reinforcement of British special forces at Bagram airport in indicates that the Americans and British are planning to widen their operations to hunt down Osama bin Laden.

A party of more than 40 Royal Marines and special forces has joined the 100 men from the Special Boat Service, and yesterday the US sent in two platoons from the 10th Mountain Division to form a rapid-response team at Bagram. Two platoons from the 10th Mountain Division have been sent to Mazar-i-Sharif to form another response team. A week ago it had been said that the 100 men of the SBS had been "hung to dry" at Bagram with nothing to do as the Jamiat-i-Islami forces had got to Kabul before them. The Jamiat spokesman Abdullah Abdullah told the SBS commandos to go away as they were "unwanted".

He then said that 15 could remain at the base. Mr Abdullah has now said that stabilisation forces will be welcome if the UN thinks it necessary.