Six gunmen halted one of several cars traveling in a spread-out convoy of journalists about 35 miles east of Kabul. The gunmen, described by an eyewitness as having long robes, beards and turbans, beat the occupants, struck them with stones, and shot at least two of them.

An anti-Taliban commander reported that the bodies of three men and one woman were seen on the road after the attack.

A French journalist had been robbed in the same area on Sunday. Later Monday, a car carrying Afghans was fired upon, but no injuries were reported.

The U.S.-aided Northern alliance rebels, having driven the Taliban out of most northern Afghanistan cities, sent an ultimatum to the Taliban early on Monday, saying that if there's no surrender within three days there will be an all-out assault on Kunduz, the last stronghold of the Taliban in the north. An estimated 10,000 Taliban soldiers are reportedly in Kunduz.

In Kabul, the country's capital, TV broadcasts that had been shut down for years by the Taliban are now back on the air, and a movie theater that had been closed by the Taliban reopened.

Osama bin Laden, the fugitive Saudi millionaire blamed in the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, remained at large Monday. Conflicting reports said that he'd left Afghanistan or that he was still hiding within the country. U.S. specials forces units continued to search for bin Laden in southern Afghanistan.

Also Monday, international negotiators began working out details of a meeting to be held this weekend for the purpose of establishing a new government for Afghanistan -- one with broader representation of the country's various religious and ethnic groups.

U.S. and Japanese officials are to meet Tuesday in Washington to put together plans -- and funding sources -- for what is expected to be a massive rebuilding effort in Afghanistan once the war ends officially.

Copyright © 1997-2002 The Morrock News Service. All rights reserved.

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