Bombings to become more focussed: U.S.

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, NOV. 16. The Pentagon is saying that the United States is ``tightening the noose'' around Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

As the anti-Taliban forces are gaining more land and on the offensive after the fall of Kabul, the Commander of American forces in the region, Gen. Tommy Franks, has said that the emphasis now is on selective air strikes and clandestine direct action.

``The bombing will become more and more focussed'', Gen. Franks remarked, a reference to the U.S. targetting the leadership of the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda. And the top military official made no bones of the fact that the Special Forces are already engaged in shooting and ambush type operations. ``We have that sort of activity going on as we speak'', he said.

Unnamed administration officials have said that there have been other developments as well: the Opposition Northern Alliance has captured some senior leaders of the Taliban and there have been some notable defections as well. The fallout of these two was that the U.S. and its coalition now has better intelligence information on the whereabouts of Osama and Mullah Mohammad Omar.

Senior civilian and military officials do not believe that the military campaign in Afghanistan is over now that Kabul has fallen and the Taliban is just about holed up in the southern strongholds of Kandahar. In the view of Gen. Franks, with the diminishing power of the Taliban ``we simply have more capability to focus on the alligators''.

The U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, and the Defence Secretary, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld, have constantly talked about ``draining the swamp'' in Afghanistan, a pointed reference to Osama, his terror network and the Taliban supporters.

Over the weekend, it is expected that Gen. Franks will be presenting a new plan for operations to Mr. Bush, in the light of the developments on the ground in the last three days. The plan will focus for the most part on ferreting out the Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, it is believed.

As the military pressure on the Taliban by the Northern Alliance is on the increase, the U.S. has been pounding away at targets in and around Kandahar; and the impression here is that the resistance is not on the same scale as before. The Taliban, on the other hand, is not giving up its last stronghold all that easily either. Eventually, the U.S. jets and planes will soften the area for the Northern Alliance as it has done in other places in the last several weeks.

With the hunt on for Osama, Mullah Omar, the other top leaders of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the U.S. has also been looking at the possibility of the top leadership slipping out of Afghanistan by land or air. ``I think we'll find him (meaning Osama) either there (Afghanistan) or in some other country. But one has to be realistic'', said Mr. Rumsfeld.

Military analysts are saying that over the years the Al-Qaeda has established numerous networks in the borders of Afghanistan. Military analysts are saying that Osama might end up in Chechnya where he will be welcomed and has a following or he might just slip into Pakistan in the long and porous border.

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Section  : International
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