US B-52s carried out intensive bombing of Taliban positions in northeast Afghanistan near the frontier with Tajikistan this morning, witnesses said.
At least 20 bombs were dropped in the zone in a two hour zone from 7 a.m. (2.30 a.m. Irish time) as US air strikes on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan entered a fifth week.
For the first time, the B-52s also targeted Taliban positions behind the frontlines, further to the south.
American bombers have hit the Taliban frontlines in the northeast for five days over the last week.
The Northern Alliance has most of its forces concentrated in the region.
The alliance controls about 10 per cent of Afghanistan but has said it is preparing a major offensive against Taliban positions and eventually Kabul.
AFP