M A I N   N E W S

4 die as Taliban ‘down’ copter

Islamabad, November 6
Four US military personnel were killed when their helicopter crashed inside Pakistan after it was fired upon by Taliban while on a mission in Afghanistan, Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press reported today.

It said all four crew on board the chopper were killed in the crash last night.

Reports from Peshawar said the helicopter crashed in Chaghi district near the Afghan border to the north of the Dalbandin air base, one of the four Pakistani airbases the US military is using for logistical and search and rescue operations in Afghanistan.

CNN quoting Pakistani officials said the chopper was returning to the Dalbandin airbase when it crashed.

They said there were casualties but did not know if there were injuries or deaths.

The US Embassy in Islamabad said it could neither confirm nor deny the report. In Washington, the Pentagon said it had no information about the report of a helicopter going down.

RABAT (Afghanistan): US warplanes bombed Taliban positions behind the front lines north of Kabul on Tuesday, targeting tanks and artillery which look down on the opposition-held Bagram airbase.

Ten explosions could be seen around Kubacha and Mirsambat in the morning as warplanes flew high above the Shomali plain for about an hour.

The opposition Northern Alliance has called on the USA to step up air attacks on the enemy north of Kabul.

Its commander welcomed the use of B-52 heavy bombers to strafe strips of ground and carpet-bomb small areas, but Taliban reinforcements have been reported arriving at the front in hundreds almost every day.

Washington appears to be putting pressure on the alliance to seize the initiative and take some territory from the Taliban, but the army is ill-equipped for an all-out offensive and there have been few real signs of an impending push.

But the Afghan Islamic Press said the alliance had captured a northern district from the Taliban on Tuesday after five hours of overnight fighting.

WASHINGTON: The US push for access to more military bases in and near Afghanistan reflects a hope that expanding support for the Northern Alliance of Afghan opposition forces will give them the wherewithal to topple the Taliban regime, defence officials have said.

It likely will take several more weeks to determine whether the Northern Alliance is capable of winning, one senior official said yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity. If it is not, the USA may have to consider eventually committing large numbers of its own ground forces to defeat the Taliban, the official said.

In the meantime, the US military is seeking access to more bases on Afghanistan’s periphery .

In addition to the former Soviet bases, the USA is interested in bases inside Afghanistan.

President George W. Bush on Tuesday said that Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaida network was seeking chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

In a speech via satellite to a conference of eastern European leaders in Warsa, Poland, Mr Bush said the Al-Qaida network blamed for the September 11 attacks was trying to export “terror throughout the world”.

It was the first time Mr Bush had specifically accused the organisation of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Agencies

Pak curb on Taliban envoy

Islamabad, November 6
In a significant move, the Pakistan Government has directed Taliban Ambassador Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef to "limit" his activities and "barred" him from holding daily media briefings highlighting Taliban propaganda against the US military operations in Afghanistan.

Mr Zaeef has been told to limit his activities according to "diplomatic norms", said a report in the website of the Pakistan daily "The News". PTI

Pak freezes JeM, Rabita accounts

Islamabad, November 6
Pakistan has frozen the bank accounts of Kashmiri militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad and another Islamic group, a State Bank of Pakistan official said today. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the freeze order applied to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lahore-based Islamic charity Rabita Trust, which was organised to care for people dislocated when Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Both were on a list of organisations designated by US Attorney-General John Ashcroft as supporting or committing terrorist acts. Mr Ashcroft recommended on October 12 that the State Department certify them as terrorist organisations. AP