M A I N   N E W S

US warplanes bomb Taliban front lines

Islamabad, November 2
In one of the fiercest bombing runs till date, the USA today targeted Taliban front lines, north of Kabul, hitting a militia headquarters using B-52 bombers even as a fresh batch of heavily-armed Pakistani tribesmen crossed into Afghanistan to support militia in the war which Washington said was still in the “very, very early stage”.

The air strikes by B-52s began overnight and intensified this morning in areas near the strategically-important Bagram air base in northern Afghanistan, leaving columns of dust and smoke billowing into the sky.

US bombers also stepped up attacks on caves and tunnels in eastern Afghanistan and US intelligence officials said the hunt for Osama bin Laden had narrowed to a few such complexes which could be safe hideouts for the terrorist mastermind and his men.

ABC television quoted the officials as saying that the USA had information about Bin Laden’s mountain hideouts and was keeping a 24-hour surveillance from the air and ground.

In another development, the Taliban claimed to have captured 25 supporters of an aide of former Afghan King Zahir Shah and threatened to execute them.

They said the followers of former Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Karzai were captured in a confrontation in Deharwad in Uruzgan province overnight and a hunt was on to apprehend their leader.

Pakistan-based AIP, quoting Taliban sources, said execution orders had been issued for important members of the detained group.

Four supporters of Karzai were said to have been killed and several others wounded in the clash with the Taliban.

Karzai, who slipped over the borders a few weeks ago, was said to be in a similar mission to Afghan resistance hero Abdul Haq who was captured and executed by the Taliban last week.

One report said four US helicopters unsuccessfully tried to rescue Karzai. PTI

Taliban capture Pashtun leader

Islamabad, November 2
Prominent Afghan Pashtun leader and a supporter of former King Zahir Shah, Hamid Karzai, was captured along with 25 followers by the Taliban, Novosti quoted the On-Line agency of Pakistan.

Karzai was captured during the fighting near Dekhrawad town in Uruzgan province yesterday, the agency said today.

Karzai was on a mission similar to that of former Mujahideen commander Abdul Haq, captured and summarily executed by the Taliban last weekend.

Hamid Karzai, a prominent field commander in the past, fought in the southern provinces of Afghanistan before the Taliban seized power in the country in 1996. PTI, Reuters

Protests fade away in Pakistan

Karachi, November 2
Protests against Pakistani military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf’s backing of the US war in Afghanistan faded away today from the already low turnout of earlier weeks.

Compared to 40,000 who marched last Friday, a mere 300 noisy men took to the streets in Karachi, waving banners reading: “For one Osama we will shed the blood of millions of Americans” and Musharraf is a killer of Islam and Muslims.

In Quetta, a border city where passions run high, 25,000 people demonstrated after Friday prayers four weeks ago. This Friday only 2,000-3,000 Taliban supporters braved the sand storms and desert sun in the cricket stadium to call for a jehad (holy war) against the USA and General Musharraf. Reuters

No pilot on US plane shot down: Taliban

Islamabad, November 2
Taliban said today that no pilot was on board the US aircraft shot down by them yesterday near the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

“There was no pilot on board. The aircraft took part in the bombings on the Taliban frontline positions near Mazar-e-Sharif and was shot down by the anti-aircraft gunfire, “Taliban envoy to Pakistan Mullah Zaeef was quoted by the Afghan Islamic Press, reports Xinhua.

To a question regarding the US Defence Department’s denial regarding losing a warplane, Zaeef said, “this is their job, they also denied killing of innocent civilians but they are doing it every day.’’

The Taliban yesterday had claimed that a US warplane was shot down by their forces. UNI