Pressure is building for an investigation into the killing of hundreds of Taliban prisoners at a prison in Mazar-e-Sharif. Mrs Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has called for an inquiry and is expected to underline her concerns at a press conference in London today.
Government unease at this week's killing of Taliban prisoners was expressed by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, who said she "unequivocally" condemned any abuse of the rights of prisoners in Afghanistan.
Ms O'Donnell said she was very concerned at the daily reports of executions carried out by participants in the conflict. Human rights considerations must have equal status with the campaign to bring al-Qaeda to justice, she insisted, speaking in Dublin. The Northern Alliance said that it would allow human rights groups to investigate the treatment of Taliban prisoners.
Up to 400 prisoners died at the fortress prison between Sunday and Tuesday this week. They were killed by Northern Alliance fighters and by US warplanes directed by special forces at the fortress.
Meanwhile, the military campaign against al-Qaeda continued as US troops and tribal armies prepare to close in on suspected hideouts of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, and Osama bin Laden.
US warplanes again bombed the Taliban's last major bastion, the southern town of Kandahar, where the hardline militia was reported to have hanged a man in the main square accused of telling Washington where to strike.
There were reports that anti-Taliban forces said they were moving to Kandahar, where they maintain Mullah Omar is still based. Northern Alliance forces entered Kandahar province, according to the Pentagon. A spokesman for Kandahar's former Mujahadeen commander, Mr Gul Agha, said Taliban fighters were lobbing rockets at his men, who had advanced to within three miles to the south of the city's airport.
However, undeterred, the Taliban leader has called on his men to fight on. "He is definitely there, he wants to fight to the last drop of his blood," said Mr Agha.
To the north-east, the military commander of Jalalabad, Mr Haji Zaman, said a tribal delegation will set out today for Tora Bora to tell Arab al-Qaeda members to leave the area or face attack.
Mr Zaman says that he is preparing a force to attack Tora Bora in the event of the Arabs refusing the request. It is understood the US is providing money and logistical support for the attack.
The Taliban's intelligence chief is believed to be among senior militia officials who have defected to opposition forces in Afghanistan, US officials said last night. The defections could be a windfall in the US search for bin Laden.