Bloodbath as Kunduz siege continues

The siege of Kunduz became a fight to the death today after surrender negotiations collapsed and trapped Taliban fighters repulsed the first wave of an all-out attack by Northern Alliance forces.

The battle for the last Taliban bastion in northern Afghanistan took on a fury not seen in the conflict so far with reports of fanatical foreign volunteers from Osama bin Laden's terrorist organisation executing Afghans who want to give up.

Frantic diplomatic moves were being made in Pakistan to try to safeguard the lives of civilians and Pakistani nationals fighting with the Taliban, but the ferocity of the Alliance offensive and the mood of anger and frustration among its leaders suggested nothing could avert a bloodbath.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw discussed the situation at length with Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf during talks in Islamabad today and afterwards Mr Straw described events around Kunduz as "very serious".

Asked what the British Government intended to do, he said: "If people are ready to surrender and are serious in that intention, they have given up their arms and it is possible to accept their surrender then that surrender should take place."

However, he said foreign fighters who had allied themselves to the Taliban could not expect to walk free. This left Britain at odds with Pakistan which is concerned at the fate of an estimated 3,000 Pakistani nationals, many recruited from religious schools, who went to Afghanistan to fight what they thought was a holy war.

President Musharraf telephoned Tony Blair to ask for his help in putting pressure on the Northern Alliance to ensure these men are not massacred, but it appeared Britain's influence with the opposition forces is limited.

Mr Straw said today that the Alliance had no objection to a British military presence "in principle", but he added: "They do wish to be consulted and that is a position we accept."

The fighting around Kunduz continues against a background of accusations of betrayal after negotiations between a Taliban leader and Alliance warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum appeared at one stage to have produced an agreement to surrender the city.

Taliban commander Mullah Fazal Akhund met General Dostum in Mazar-i-Sharif and, according to General Dostum, they agreed that all Taliban fighters would lay down their weapons and allow Alliance forces to take over the city.

Under this agreement General Dostum said Afghans would be given safe passage to their homes while the foreign fighters would be taken prisoner to stand trial. Mullah Fazal returned to Kunduz yesterday, while General Dostum said he was confident he would hand over the city by Sunday.

Then, in a move that has not been explained, Northern Alliance General Mohammed Daoud's forces east of Kunduz began moving forward to unleash an artillery and rocket barrage against the Taliban front line.

In the first wave about 200 Taliban surrendered close to the town of Khanabad, about 13 miles east of Kunduz.

The Taliban counter-attacked, however, and the battle raged around Khanabad where one witness said the Taliban may have 500 tanks.

Privately, ministers are furious that the US is not reining in its proxy fighters and there was incredulity among some when US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld appeared to embrace the idea of the foreign fighters being wiped out. American planes continue to hit Taliban positions in the hills around Kunduz .

Meanwhile, Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain warned today that generations of conflict in Afghanistan meant the situation around Kunduz would not be resolved "like a Sunday school outing".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We want to see the situation proceed in as peaceful and as humane a way as possible but it's a fraught predicament."

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