India Times

US troops land near Kandahar: Iranian radio

TEHRAN: US infantry landed from helicopters on Wednesday near Kandahar in southwest Afghanistan, stronghold of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and suspected terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden, Iranian state radio said.

"Informed sources report that US helicopters from the Pakistani-Afghan border have entered Afghan territory and deployed troops around Kandahar", a radio correspondent said. "It's the second part of the American operation on Afghan soil, which started this morning," it added.

The radio did not give an exact number of US troops to have disembarked or of helicopters used in the operation.

Iranian television later cited witnesses saying there were "exchanges of fire between Taliban forces and American soldiers near Kandahar."

However, neither Washington nor London would comment on any of the information, and the reports could not be independently confirmed.

Earlier on Wednesday, Britain's Tony Blair had hinted at an imminent use of ground troops in Afghanistan and ruled out a pause in military strikes.

He also said the US-dominated coalition was now giving more active help to the opposition Northern Aliance forces fighting the Taliban.

Blair said the bombing campaign had inflicted "heavy damage" on the ruling Taliban's command and control centres, air defences, radars, missile sites and aircraft, and to bin Laden's al-Qaeda.

He told parliament that "we are in a process of establishing the ability to take more, further military action against the Taliban regime and the al-Qaeda network."

It was interpreted as a hint of ground troops - most likely special forces - who are already reported to be in and around Afghanistan. Defence officials never comment publicly on the use of elite units such as the SAS for operational reasons.

The Prime Minister said the coalition was now "additionally giving further help" to the Northern Alliance, which was "taking territory from the Taliban" and was close to Kabul.

Blair, who is one of Washington's staunchest allies, said that if bin Laden was not stopped, he would commit further atrocities.

He said there was "no option" but to continue with the action, "to bring it to a successful conclusion, and to close down that terrorist network once and for all."

Later, Blair's official spokesman fended off questions about his hint of a new phase in the operation.

He said military planners always kept "other options" under review, and "we can go down some of those routes if it is thought to be appropriate."

Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, based in Afghanistan, are accused of arranging and carrying out the September 11 suicide plane attacks in New York and Washington which killed more than 5,000 people.

Although the United States is providing the bulk of the firepower designed to smoke out bin Laden, London has lent political and military backing.

The prime minister said he had just spoken to US President George W. Bush, who agreed that the action should continue.

Earlier Wednesday, a group of six international aid agencies urged a pause in air strikes to allow food supplies to be delivered before the severe Afghan winter begins to bite early next month.

The call came as the US-led strikes hit Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad and, for the first time, Taliban frontline positions.

"It is evident now that we cannot, in reasonable safety, get food to hungry people," Oxfam director Barbara Stocking said.

Oxfam International joined Britain's Islamic Relief, Christian Aid, CAFOD, Tear Fund and Action Aid in the appeal.

According to UN estimates, 50,000 tonnes of food must get into Afghanistan in the next month to stop tens of thousands of people starving through winter. Only 10,000 tonnes have made it in the last month.

Half a million aid-dependent people will be cut off from supplies over the next four weeks, the aid groups warned.

Blair sympathised, but said it was the Taliban's fault.

He said that in border areas around Afghanistan, there was enough provision for food, camps and shelter for about 2.5 million people.

"Inside Afghanistan is the problem. It is they that are the obstacle."

He said the Taliban was harassing and intimidating UN convoys, taxing food, stealing their equipment and communications and preventing aid getting through to those who needed it.

He went on: "We cannot have the Taliban regime remain in power able to use this humanitarian crisis as a reason for warding off the action we take." ( AFP )

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

Answers

Thanks OG!

http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=748993062

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001