<p>TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — Afghan refugees who are veterans of earlier battles against the Taliban are preparing to leave their homes in Uzbekistan in an effort to link up with Northern Alliance forces and recapture Mazar-e Sharif and other northern towns. Airstrikes by U.S. and British forces on Taliban-controlled airfields, training camps and other targets around Mazar-e Sharif, Sheberghan, Samangan, Kholm and other locations have softened Taliban resistance, Northern Alliance officials say.</p>