Whats so important about Mazar-e Sharif?
Situated about 100 miles from the Uzbekistan border, Mazar-e Sharif is hardly a central city in Afghanistan, nor is it the country’s most populated or industrialized. It is not a Taliban stronghold like Kandahar or a political symbol like Kabul. But in a country with only a handful of major cities, experts say Mazar-e Sharif serves a crucial role in supplying the Taliban and holding back opposition forces. Several military, political and psychological factors, they add, could make the city the first domino in the downfall of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban.
