In Afghanistan last November,the Northern Alliance, supported by American Special Forces troops and emboldened by the highly accurate American bombing, and forced thousands of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters to retreat inside the northern hill town of Kunduz. Trapped with them were Pakistani Army officers,intelligence advisers, and volunteers who were fighting alongside the Taliban. (Pakistan had been the Taliban’s staunchest military and economic supporter in its long-running war against the Northern Alliance.) Many of the fighters had fled earlier defeats at Mazar-i-Sharif, or to the west; Taloqan,to the east; and Pul-i-Khumri, to the south. The road to Kabul, or a potential point of retreat,was blocked and was targeted by American bombers. Kunduz offered safety from the bombs and a chance to negotiate painless surrender terms, as Afghan tribes often conclude.
Source: newyorker.com