A group of commanders from Afghanistan's ruling Taliban has switched sides and closed the only road linking north and south Afghanistan, a senior opposition Northern Alliance official has said.
"About 40 commanders with 1,200 men under arms joined the alliance and closed the Bagram-Bamiyan road to the Taliban on Monday night," said Mr Abdullah Abdullah, foreign minister of the Northern Alliance.
"There wasn't any fighting, they basically came right over," he said.
Without that road the Taliban can only supply the north of Afghanistan by the road leading from Kabul all the way to the west via Herat.
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The Northern Alliance has already blocked the Salang Pass, which commands the main highway linking Kabul with cities in the north.