The Taliban launched an offensive up the highway towards Imam Sahib, Khanabad and Dashti-i-Archi in Kunduz province (400 kilometers north of Kabul.) The ultimate goal is Takhar province, further to the north. Some 6,000 Taliban troops are involved, advancing in two columns. The Northern Alliance said they had held the Taliban advance. But the Taliban are using a lot of artillery and a dozen or so MiG jets to bombard the enemy troops.