DUSHANBE. Nov 22 (Interfax-AVN) - The Taliban have refused to lay down their weapons and surrender Kunduz.
Northern Alliance units might start an assault on the city within 24 hours, Dodullo Hasos, the anti-Taliban coalition representative in Dushanbe, told Interfax on Thursday.
The opposition has left several special security corridors in Konduz, via which surrendering fighters from so-called militia forces, including local residents, can pass, he said.
The Taliban and foreign mercenaries concentrated in Konduz will be wiped out in an assault, which will begin after last militia units leave the city, Hasos said.
A number of Taliban warlords have ignored the decision of Mullah Dodullo, who held negotiations on surrendering the city on their behalf, and again said they would fight to the end, Hasos said. He said they "could have planned this maneuver beforehand and were only trying to win some time to relocate their forces and prepare for battle against the Northern Alliance."
Hasos estimated the number of fighters in Konduz at up to 20,000, including several thousands of foreign mercenaries.