Afghanistan Readies for Battle?

LONDON, June 17, 2008 — -- Afghanistan's army chief, Gen. Bismillah Khan, is in Kandahar preparing his men for a potentially major battle with the Taliban.

A Ministry of Defense spokesman told ABC News that extra troops sent to the city this morning are standing by on high alert and that they were called in response to increased activity by Islamic militants in the region.

Eyewitnesses and locals report that the Taliban have destroyed bridges and planted mines in several villages in the Arghandab area, about six miles north of Kandahar.

Gen. Zahir Azimi stressed the severity of the situation and added that "foreign fighters are among the 300 to 400 Taliban" gathered in Arghandab.

Civilians in the area have started to flee, fearing they may be caught in the crossfire.

Saeed Shah, a resident of the Arghandab region, told ABC News that the Taliban had visited his house overnight and demanded food. He described groups of Taliban going from house to house searching for supplies.

"They were very well armed with Kalashnikovs and RPGs," he said.

Shah and many of his neighbors, unable to provide the Taliban with food, left their homes today. He said they were afraid as much of retribution from hungry Taliban fighters as they were of the brewing battle.

The hundreds who have fled their homes and fields have done so at a particulalry crucial time — harvest. The Arghandab region is famous in Afghanistan for its grape and pomegranate groves and locals have been forced to abandon a major source of income.

"This is another great problem we are facing," Shah said.

He is now in a suburb of Kandahar, living in what he described as "very bad conditions without food and water."

Kandahar is the Taliban's spiritual home and some fear they could be planning a major push on Afghanistan's second city. The BBC reported that a self-described Taliban commander, Mullah Daoud, said, "We have gathered in Arghandab because we want to capture an important city like Kandahar."

Another Taliban commander named Mullah Ahmedullah called an Associated Press reporter today and said that around 400 Taliban had moved into Arghandab from Khakrez, one district to the north.