The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, October 12, 2001, Chandigarh, India

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Heaviest raids on Kabul, 100 killed
Bunker-busting bombs dropped *US troops land in Pak

Kabul, October 11
US planes launched a fresh nightime raid on the Afghan capital city of Kabul tonight, with residents reporting four loud explosions from bombs that appeared to have fallen inside the city.

Fighters roared over the capital at around 09.45 p.m. (2245 Ist) prompting a barrage of fire from Taliban anti-aircraft positions.

“There were four big blasts, which seemed very close,” said an AFP reporter inside the city.

Earlier, the USA today launched its biggest ever attack in the Capital, Kabul, and Kandahar dropping “bunker-busting” bombs for the first time causing heavy casualties as American troops and planes landed in Pakistan, indicating possible ground assaults against Taliban.

Loud explosions shook Kabul as jets screamed overhead, targeting a Taliban military academy, artillery units and suspected training camps, reports reaching here said.

The Taliban claimed that over 140 persons have been killed in the assault in Kabul, Jalalabad and Kandahar since last night.

According to the militia, nearly 100 persons died around Jalther, 18 in Kandahar and 10 members of a family in Kabul.

A mosque has been destroyed in the eastern city of Jalalabad, killing 15 persons in the missile attack. However, there was no confirmation of these claims.

American warplanes are reported to pound bunker-busting bombs, which could mark the start of the next phase of the USA and its allies’ campaign against Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the September 11 terror attacks in the USA, and his protectors.

As the US offensive continued for the fifth consecutive day, officials in Islamabad said more than 15 US military aircraft, including C-130 transport planes, have landed at Jacobabad airbase, 500I.

Some American personnel were also on the ground in Pakistan, but the Pakistani officials stressed they were not combat forces and would not use the country’s territory for attacks against Afghanistan.

The officials were quoted as saying that Pakistan had allowed the USA to use Jacobabad and Pasani airbases only for logistics and support operations.

Also in Pakistan, the authorities have seized more than 2,500 grenades from a man suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in response to the US campaign in Afghanistan. The man has been arrested.

Asked about the reports of the arrival of US troops and planes in Pakistan, Taliban Ambassador to Islamabad Abdul Salam Zaeef said, “When the Americans enter Afghanistan, then will start the real war, not now.”

CNN quoting an unnamed US official reported that several Taliban leaders were believed to have been killed in the first round of attacks on Sunday night.

The USA has received “highly credible” reports that raids killed some Taliban leaders, including two adult male relatives of the militia leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, the official was quoted as saying.

Mr Zaeef said both Omar and Bin Laden were okay. “They have not been affected by the strikes.”

Meanwhile, opposition Northern Alliance fighting Taliban claimed that they have taken a key central Gur province after heavy fighting with the militia forces overnight.

A huge blaze was reported near Kabul airport last night and a military academy, east of the Capital, was reportedly hit. Taliban gunners opened fire from at least three positions near the city centre.

Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press reported explosions in Shamshaad, a Taliban military base east of Jalalabad near the Pakistan border. PTI

Riyadh ‘asks’ Blair to cancel visit

Dubai, October 11
Saudi Arabia, eager to distance itself from the western campaign against Afghanistan, asked the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, to cancel a planned visit to the kingdom, a Saudi-owned newspaper reported today. The London-based Asharq al-Awsat quoted “informed sources” in London as saying that the kingdom told Mr Blair, Washington’s partner in the strikes on Afghanistan, before he set out on a visit to Oman yesterday that it could not receive him.

“Source explained that this was because the Saudi leadership was sensitive about its role and position in both Arab and Islamic world,” the Arabic-language daily said. Reuters

Pak returns ’copters to Taliban

New Delhi, October 11
Pakistan has returned to the Taliban regime two of its military helicopters Islamabad had impounded earlier, the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh said today.

“The helicopters, which had apparently flown into Pakistan in the wake of US strikes, were military helicopters and could not be used for peaceful purposes”, the minister told reporters here.

Taliban air defence and air power capacities had been considerably degraded and its command and control structure and logistic systems had suffered badly and were “already in disarray”, he said. PTI

Jaswant rules out hot pursuit
TNS and agencies

New Delhi, October 11
India today made it clear that Kashmir was not an international issue but a bilateral one between India and Pakistan and also ruled out launching raid-and-destroy operations at the terrorist training camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Stating this External Affairs and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh told a news conference that the coming visit of US Secretary of State Colin Powell to India and Pakistan had nothing to do with the Kashmir issue, but would focus on the international situation in the wake of September 11 terror attacks on the USA.

Asked if the government favoured “hot pursuit” against the Pakistan-based terrorists and raiding their camps, he replied in the negative. However, he reiterated the government stand that “India will not continue to tolerate” incidents like the October 1 car bomb attack at Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in which 42 persons were killed.

Taking a dig at the Taliban, the minister said talking of a “moderate” Taliban was meaningless. “To my mind, a moderate Taliban is an oxymoron.”

Meanwhile, India said today that it would extend all possible help including granting of visas to refugees from Afghanistan and has deputed officials at the Indo-Pakistan border at Wagah to facilitate their entry.

Assuring Pakistan that India would not do anything to add to its current disturbed situation, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh said it had never done anything to raise tensions. It always favoured the dialogue process with Pakistan but Islamabad must reciprocate by abandoning its support to terrorist groups.

He did not see any possibility of his visit to Pakistan in the near future. “I have no plans of visiting Pakistan and I have not received any invitation. It will be very difficult for me to visit and difficult for Pakistan to receive me under the present disturbed conditions.’’

Mr Jaswant Singh said: “There is no need to send our troops for military action against the Taliban.” He expressed the government’s reservation on any military action against any other country at this juncture.

Meanwhile, efforts are on to form a broad-based, multi-ethnic post-Taliban government in Afghanistan, which has equal representation from all sections of Afghan society, the External Affairs Minister said.

It would be a three-phase exercise. After the ousting of the Taliban, the new government could have a “loyha jirga” (national assembly) with one-third nominated members and the remaining two-third elected. The “loyha jirga” would sit and decide upon the representative, he added.

Addressing a press conference on the completion of one month of the terrorist strikes on the USA the External Affairs Minister said India would favour a post-Taliban government in Afghanistan that does not believe in the ideology of promoting and exporting terrorism.

Asked about the role of deposed King Zahir Shah, who lives in exile, Mr Jaswant Singh said King Zahir Shah is not interested in the restoration of monarchy.

To a question on whether India had discussed the new proposed dispensation with other countries with whom it has been conferring on the issue, he said, “Broadly speaking, they are in agreement.”

He said India recognised the Rabbani government in Afghanistan which still had representation in the UN.

He said he had recently visited the USA, UK, France and Germany and had telephonic consultations with leaders from a large number of countries like Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Canada and the Arab League.

He said discussions were slated with France, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, besides those to be held with Russian Deputy Premier Ilya Klebanov and US Secretary of State Colin Powell here in the near future.

Mr Jaswant Singh further said he would personally take up with the Musharraf government the ban on entry of Indian journalists into Pakistan, saying that, “free access should be given to mediapersons to enable them to cover fast changing developments in Afghanistan.”

“I have already taken up the matter, and will bring it to the notice of the Pakistan Government,” he replied to a question about denial of visas to Indian mediapersons at a press conference here today.