Operation anytime now?

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, OCT. 6. An anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan could begin as early as Sunday, Russian television said.

In a report from Afghanistan, the commercial NTV television on Saturday quoted unidentified sources in the Northern Alliance as naming October 7 as a possible date for the beginning of a U.S.- led coalition strikes against Taliban bases.

An NTV correspondent in Afghanistan said the Alliance was determined to launch a three-pronged offensive even if the U.S. failed to support it with aerial strikes. The anti-Taliban forces were planning to advance toward Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif and in Tahar Province, the NTV reporter said.

Meanwhile, Russia's former deputy army chief of staff said victory over the Taliban hinged on international aid to the opposition alliance.

Gen. Valery Manilov said in an interview on Saturday that the chances of the Northern Alliance depended on how effective the assistance it got from the international community was and how tight the isolation was clamped down on the Taliban regime.

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Section  : International
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