Heavy fighting is reported in northern Afghanistan, some 400 kilometers north of the capital. Over 70 are dead and hundreds wounded. Thousands of Taliban troops are advancing towards the Dar-e-Suf pass. The Taliban claim to have captured several key towns, including Sher Khan Bandar, a river port vital to the Northern Alliance supply line from Tajikistan. The Taliban offensive consists of two columns. Some 50 kilometers  north of the capital, on the Shamali plains, 3,000 troops (including Pakistani volunteers) sought to push the Northern Alliance forces back from the capital. Some 380 kilometers to the north, another Taliban force of 2,500 men went after passes and towns vital to the supply of weapons and ammunition for the Northern Alliance.