U.S. carpet bombing begins near Kabul

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, OCT. 31. The United States has begun carpet bombing Taliban positions near Kabul in what is seen as a major escalation of the ongoing operations.

The heavy B-52 bomber, well-known for this carpet bombing role in the heydays of the Vietnam war, is said to have attacked Taliban positions at two locations near the Bagram airport.

The Pentagon has for the first time acknowledged that a small number of American troops are on the ground working closely with the opposition Northern Alliance.

The Defence Secretary, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld, who has been wary about letting out operational information to the media, said on Tuesday that 80 per cent of the American strikes were now focused on the frontlines. He also spoke of the impact of having the Americans physically on the ground inside Afghanistan.

The ``formal'' induction of the troops could now relieve the Central Intelligence Agency of its task in Afghanistan. The nodal intelligence agency was coordinating with the Northern Alliance in the last several days. From now on that will be done by service personnel in uniform and for a long period, it is said.

The Pentagon says there could be a substantial increase in the presence of U.S. troops; and at the same time is pointing out the increased risks.

The steps which have been taken by the U.S. and the Northern Alliance in the last few days do not mean that it is going to be a walkover for the anti-Taliban forces. The Northern Alliance is yet to produce any serious battle plans to take Mazar-i-Sharif and march on to Kabul.

Till now, all the talk has been about an ``imminent'' offensive by the Alliance. The fact is that Washington has not been going out of the way to bolster the Alliance, for military and political reasons.

Hospital hit

An AP report from Kandahar in Afghanistan, quoting witnesses, said U.S. jets struck before dawn on Wednesday near this southern city and badly damaged a hospital. Air attacks also pounded Taliban positions north of Kabul and near the strategic northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

A doctor, speaking in the presence of Taliban officials, said 15 persons were killed and 25 others severely injured in the attack on the hospital, located about 2 km northeast of the city centre.

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