Return-Path: <sentto-279987-2219-1001186632-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com> Delivered-To: fc@all.net Received: from 204.181.12.215 by localhost with POP3 (fetchmail-5.1.0) for fc@localhost (single-drop); Sat, 22 Sep 2001 12:25:28 -0700 (PDT) Received: (qmail 1894 invoked by uid 510); 22 Sep 2001 19:24:22 -0000 Received: from n19.groups.yahoo.com (216.115.96.69) by 204.181.12.215 with SMTP; 22 Sep 2001 19:24:22 -0000 X-eGroups-Return: sentto-279987-2219-1001186632-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com Received: from [10.1.1.222] by mw.egroups.com with NNFMP; 22 Sep 2001 19:23:57 -0000 X-Sender: fc@big.all.net X-Apparently-To: iwar@onelist.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_3_2_2); 22 Sep 2001 19:23:51 -0000 Received: (qmail 68121 invoked from network); 22 Sep 2001 19:23:51 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.27) by 10.1.1.222 with QMQP; 22 Sep 2001 19:23:51 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO big.all.net) (65.0.156.78) by mta2 with SMTP; 22 Sep 2001 19:23:50 -0000 Received: (from fc@localhost) by big.all.net (8.9.3/8.7.3) id MAA19100 for iwar@onelist.com; Sat, 22 Sep 2001 12:23:43 -0700 Message-Id: <200109221923.MAA19100@big.all.net> To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List) Organization: I'm not allowed to say X-Mailer: don't even ask X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL1] From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net> Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list iwar@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:iwar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com> Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 12:23:43 -0700 (PDT) Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Subject: [iwar] [fc:Afghan.News.09/21/2001] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <a href="mailto:AzadiAfghanRadio@aol.com?Subject=Re:%20(ai)%20[Fwd:%20Afghan%20News%2009/21/2001%20-%20#947]%2526In-Reply-To=%2526lt;3BAC7AAD.FA245B28@speconsult.com">AzadiAfghanRadio@aol.com</a> wrote: Afghan opposition digs in, looks hopefully towards Kabul BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Sept 22 (AFP) - Commander Dadgul and his men walked along the dusty road towards their post on the frontline between opposition forces and their Taliban enemy just north of Kabul to begin another 10-day tour of duty. But this time as they said goodbye to their families they knew that events on another continent -- last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington -- could change their fortunes. "Inshallah (if God is willing), we hope there will be big changes. The Taliban have lost their strength and it is our turn to fight now," the 40-year-old commander said, fingering his prayer beads. With Washington poised to unleash its military might against the Taliban regime, blamed for sheltering the top suspect for the terrorist assault, Saudi-born extremist Osama bin Laden, the beleaguered Afghan opposition feels the tables have finally turned. "If US troops come here, we will be happy to join with them. We don't mind that they are not Muslims," said Dadgul, who has been fighting the religious militia for five years since they captured Kabul in 1996. So far, though, on this key frontline less than 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Afghan capital, it is the opposition Northern Alliance troops that are on the defensive. Peering over sandbags on the roof terrace of his half-ruined house, General Babajan kept his head well down as he pointed towards the nearest Taliban positions, just 1.5 kilometres away (one mile). General Babajan, whose family home was looted when the Taliban occupied the area, now commands the front at Bagram on the plains north of the capital. Behind lies the strategic Panjshir Valley, which is held by the opposition along with a slice of northeast Afghanistan. Just ten days ago, his forces repulsed an attack by the Taliban, who took advantage of the confusion after a suicide bomb attack against the opposition's military chief, Ahmad Shah Masood, who later died from his wounds. No ground assault has happened here since then, but in the air above, the loud thud of incoming rockets shook the sky as the Taliban opened fire with multiple rocket-launchers used by both sides to pound each other. Inside the courtyard, a small group of fighters armed with ageing Kalashnikov rifles and two hand-held missile-launchers that looked as though they had seen many years of service, gathered round. The fighters, including one as young as 15, looked unwilling to venture outside. Hurrying back along the maze of narrow paths flanked by mud-baked walls leading away from the frontline through the abandoned centre of Bagram, tension hung in the air. Inside his headquarters, General Babajan warned the United States not to delay launching air and missile strikes on the Taliban as he promised them intelligence to help track down the terrorist camps allegedly run by bin Laden. "We are ready at any time. If the Americans start missile strikes, we should attack from the ground at the same time," said the 41-year-old general, who vowed to push straight on to Kabul. The general, a student of military history, took out a book in Persian on the two World Wars. As he leafed through it he revealed he most admired Rommel, the brilliant German commander who fought in North Africa during World War II. But the forces at his disposal, despite help from Russia, Iran and India provided to the Afghan opposition, remain slender in comparison to the Pakistani-backed Taliban. "The Taliban morale is high, they killed our leader and made those attacks in the United States," he conceded wearily. Rumsfeld signals US will seek backing from Afghan opposition WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (AFP) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signaled on Friday that the United States would seek support from opposition forces in northern Afghanistan, in its campaign to force the ruling Taliban to hand over terror suspect Osama bin Laden. The northern opposition alliance, a coalition of factions based mainly in a mountainous region north of Kabul, is the only internal force still battling the Taliban, which controls most of Afghanistan. "One can say, how much help can they be? Well, they can be a lot of help," Rumsfeld said in an interview on Fox television. "These folks, they know the lay of the land. They know in some cases some targets that are useful. They have some ideas about how to deal with the Taliban," he said. "So I think one has to say that they can be useful in a variety of ways." President George W. Bush's administration has warned that the Taliban must hand over bin Laden, its top suspect in last week's terror attacks on New York and the Pentagon, or share its fate, amid signs of a looming US strike on Afghanistan. The opposition, still reeling from the assassination this month of its military chief, Ahmad Shah Masood, has made no secret of its desire for US military help, after years of defeats against the Taliban, which has imposed a radical brand of Islam on the country. But Rumsfeld did not mention any specific plans to arm the alliance, a loose coalition of warlords from the Uzbek, Hazara and Tajik ethnic minorities. Russia, Iran and India are believed to have helped the alliance in the past, but its forces have been no match for the Taliban, which has been backed by Pakistan and bolstered by thousands of Arab and Muslim volunteers. Rumsfeld suggested that the Taliban's grip on power in Afghanistan may be shakier than it appears, likening it to the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union and dictatorships in eastern and central Europe. "It was a surprise that at a certain moment the people there who did not agree with those regimes, felt it was the right moment and stepped forward and acted on their own," he said. "It was not some country going in and rooting it out. It was the very people in those countries who could no longer tolerate living in those dictatorial regimes," he said. The northern alliance, which musters only around 15,000 troops, is confined to the Panjshir Valley, northeastern Badakhshan province and pockets of territory in the north and west. Without the talismanic Masood at its head though, fears have mounted that the alliance could splinter. Alliance fighters could provide highly valuable experience in the inhospitable and mountainous terrain and conditions US forces would face if they were ever to deploy in Afghanistan. They may also be able to provide intelligence reports on the operations of bin Laden and his al-Qaida network. U.S. Mulls Role for Afghan Opposition Friday, September 21, 2001 6:24 PM EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Afghanistan's leading opposition group has pledged support for a U.S. anti-terror campaign that targets the country's Taliban leaders but Bush administration officials voiced uncertainty on Friday about what role the group might play. A spokesman for the group, known as the Northern Alliance, told Reuters that contacts with the U.S. government had intensified since last week's suicide attacks destroyed the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon and left more than 6,800 people missing or dead. ``We are talking to various people within the U.S. government. Our meetings are very productive and there seems to be a crescendo building. ... Before contact was negligible, now we are in daily contact,'' the alliance's U.S. spokesman, Harun Amin, said in a telephone interview. Amin, who represents the alliance at the United Nations, said his group offered 30,000 troops to assist in any U.S. military assault as well as intelligence information on prime suspect Osama bin Laden and the puritanical Islamic Taliban leadership that controls most of Afghanistan. Bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi exile, bases his network of anti-western militants in Afghanistan as the Taliban's ``guest.'' U.S. officials cautioned against over-interpreting the contacts with the Northern Alliance, a coalition of rebel groups waging civil war against the Taliban. ``They are the ones who are taking the initiative here,'' not the Bush administration, a State Department official said. A key congressional aide agreed, saying the alliance was ''very eager'' to join forces with the United States and ``has ''knocked on doors'' all over Capitol Hill to press its case. Before the Sept. 11 suicide attacks, some U.S. officials were already urging direct U.S. support for the Northern Alliance. Since the attacks, President Bush has made clear that the Taliban, as well as bin Laden's network, was a target. ``Destroying the Taliban leadership is a very distinct possibility, assuming we can find them,'' said one senior U.S. official. ALLIANCE ROLE A QUESTION Asked how much help the Northern Alliance could be in the U.S. effort to crush bin Laden's network, the State Department official said: ``That's a big question and tough to answer. In part it depends on what we decide to do (militarily), which we haven't done yet.'' One possibility under consideration is basing U.S. forces and supplies in Afghanistan's Panshir Valley, where the Northern Alliance has a stronghold. But U.S. officials stressed that is one option among many and has major drawbacks. Afghanistan has been a graveyard for foreign forces, most recently from the Soviet Union. For people who don't know Afghanistan, a U.S.-Northern Alliance partnership may look like ideal, but the reality is more complicated, the State Department official said. ``As far as I know there hasn't been any serious planning with these guys yet about what could be done. I just don't know how we're going to approach them,'' the official said. Amin said such U.S. caution was understandable given the sensitivity of planning a war. ``There seems to be progress in the (U.S.-Northern Alliance) talks. Both sides feel closer cooperation and coordination are required,'' he said. Amin said the North Alliance had infiltrated the Taliban ranks and could provide information about base camps, military airports, and where personnel are currently concentrated. The time was right to attack the Taliban but ``there needs to be coordination and the U.S. needs to realize that we are in a position to be able to give lots of resources ... both in terms of intelligence as well as fighting capability. We know the terrain,'' he added. The Northern Alliance and its legendary leader Ahmad Masood had been among the mujahideen fighters who ousted the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1979 and never lost a battle. But Masood was assassinated earlier this month by operatives believed linked with bin Laden and it is unclear how this has affected his organization. Traditionally the alliance forces have been ``extremely tough and disciplined,'' one U.S. official said, adding: ``By the same token, they are not in a position where they can take back the rest of the country either.'' Some analysts say that the alliance has lacked the manpower, training and equipment to do much more than hold its own against the Taliban. Amin tried to kick-start negotiations with Washington last Sunday, five days after hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the worst attack on U.S. soil. The 32-year-old, a refugee in 1980 after Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan, said the West's response after those troops pulled out had allowed bin Laden to flourish. ``The West turned a blind eye and left it to the mercy of regional countries. I think that truly and definitely helped bin Laden,'' he said. Amin said Afghanistan needed a broad-based government and he welcomed a role for Afghanistan's monarch King Zahir Shah, who was forced into exile in Rome by a 1973 coup. Ex-King Calls for Transitional Afghan Government - By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - Saying he felt a duty to his country and to God, Afghanistan (news - web sites)'s former king has appealed for an emergency assembly of representatives from all Afghan groups to elect a head of state and set up a transitional government. The 86-year-old King Mohammad Zahir Shah, who has been living in exile in Rome since 1973, made his ringing call in a statement broadcast to Afghanistan from Italy on Thursday night. In his address, made in the Dari language, the king said his ultimate goal was the ``liberation of our homeland and people.'' An English text was made available by a spokesman on Friday. ``Despite the many sacrifices that the courageous nation of Afghanistan has endured for the noble cause of freedom and human dignity, we must acknowledge with regret that the presence of foreign-imposed terrorists has caused unrest and danger for the stability of our country and peace in the region,'' he said. ``Historically, our nation has acted in accordance with the guidance and tenets of Islam, embraced moderation and tolerance, opposed terrorism and terrorist behavior, which is alien to Afghan traditions,'' he said. Washington says Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), who is based in Afghanistan and protected by the ruling Taliban there, was behind last week's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (news - web sites). ``I appeal to the Afghan people and to their sense of honor and patriotism to rescue us from this dangerous situation so that in the future we will have exonerated the Afghan nation before God Almighty and history,'' he said. The king was forced into exile by a 1973 coup that marked the start of instability leading to a 1979 Soviet invasion and a civil war. The king said he felt a ``national duty'' to help Afghanistan by calling what he referred to as a Loya Jirga, an assembly made up of representatives from all tribal and ethnic groups. A spokesman said that if the Loya Jirga could not be held in Afghanistan an emergency assembly could be held outside the country. The king said this would lead to an ``Emergency Grand Assembly, in order to elect a head of state, and establish a transitional government.'' The king concluded his message by saying: ``I am convinced (that) with your participation and the cooperation of the international community our struggle for the return of peace shall continue until we fulfill our desired goal, which is the liberation of our homeland and people. So help me God.'' The spokesman said the king believed the United Nations (news - web sites) could play an important role in the eventual convening of the Loya Jirga and drum up international support for it and the decisions it may make. UN moots return of Afghan king - bbc Preparations are underway to replace the Taleban By Eurasia analysts Malcolm Haslett and Ian MacWilliam President George W Bush has warned the Taleban authorities in Afghanistan to hand over the militant Osama bin Laden and his followers, or share in their fate. Behind the scenes, there are reports of diplomatic efforts by the United Nations and Washington to put together an Afghan coalition which could replace the Taleban as an alternative government for Afghanistan. One possibility being mooted is that ex-king Mohammed Zahir Shah, who was overthrown by a coup in 1973, could be reinstated as the head of an interim administration. As Afghanistan's war has dragged on, the idea of a broad-based interim government has often been raised as a first step towards peace and a permanent political settlement for the country. But the idea has always foundered on the difficulty of getting Afghanistan's many ethnic and regional factions to work together. Now the UN's special representative on Afghanistan, Francis Vendrell, is urging Washington and its European allies to bring moderate Afghans into a coalition aimed at replacing the Taleban in the event that the current crisis deals them a fatal blow. The name of Zahir Shah, who is now 86 and living in exile in Rome, has once more been put forward as a possible figurehead for a moderate interim administration. The idea of bringing a king back to power at the beginning of the 21st century sounds anachronistic, but during his 40-year rule King Zahir Shah emerged as a cautious moderniser and reformer. In 1964 he introduced a new constitution providing for an elected parliament, political parties and freedom for the press. The king also encouraged social reform, trying to improve the status of women. But his innovation was hampered by traditionalists and by factionalism and the country's growing prosperity was not shared evenly. In 1973, while he was abroad, the king was ousted by his left-wing cousin Mohammed Daoud and has lived in exile ever since. If the Taleban were ever to lose control some see the king as the nearest thing there is in Afghanistan to a unifying figure. Though a Pashtun, his first language is Persian, and he is one of the few Afghan leaders who might be able to reconcile the Pashtu-dominated south with the non-Pashtuns in the north. Despite an absence of almost 30 years he is still widely respected in the country, and much of the Afghan population, exhausted by the years of warfare, would grasp at any chance of a return of peace. Most importantly, any political settlement under the aegis of the United Nations would win wide approval among ordinary Afghans, who would not want a government imposed by Washington, or any other foreign country. War looms as Washington vows to act, Taliban rejects ultimatum WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (AFP) - The specter of war loomed closer Friday as more countries joined the United States in pledging to take action after Afghanistan's Taliban rulers defied a US ultimatum to surrender terror suspect Osama bin Laden. "We have resolved to hold to account all of those who are responsible for aiding, financing and otherwise supporting and harbouring terrorists," US Secretary of State Colin Powell said at a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington. "We act in concert with the rest of the civilized world," he said, underlining what he said was a determination to take "concerted actions in defense of freedom." Earlier, Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia rejected US President George W. Bush's demand for the immediate handover of bin Laden, the chief suspect in the September 11 airborne attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that left more than 6,800 people dead or missing. "Without evidence, no," Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef told reporters in Islamabad. The US administration responded swiftly, saying its warning to the Taliban was plain. "If they harbor terrorists, the president's message is clear: We will defeat you," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. In a tough speech to the US Congress, Bush on Thursday demanded that the Taliban deliver bin Laden and destroy bases of his al-Qaeda terrorist network. Otherwise, he said, they would face the wrath of US forces. Bush's ultimatum was backed up with mounting deployments of air, sea and land forces in readiness for what the president said would be a protracted war against terrorism. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signaled on Friday that the United States would seek support from opposition forces in northern Afghanistan. "These folks, they know the lay of the land. They know in some cases some targets that are useful. They have some ideas about how to deal with the Taliban," he said in an interview on Fox television. Global support for tough action against the perpetrators of the terror onslaught continued to firm up on Friday. "All the most powerful nations, and in all cases the members of the UN Security Council, are intent on fighting terrorism together," said Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said that a precise request for military aid had not yet been received, but stressed that the Russian and US special forces had a long history of cooperation. In Brussels, leaders of the 15-nation European Union adopted an action plan against terrorism, while in Washington, the 34-nation OAS promised "additional support" in the fight against terrorism under a regional military mutual assistance treaty. In Germany, the armed forces completed a review of their readiness to join a military response to the terror attacks, German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping said amid media reports that a commando unit was standing by for possible action. Bush, meanwhile continued a wide-ranging diplomatic initiative, notably telephoning leaders of Turkey, Nigeria and Oman. "They all expressed their condolences about the attack and their willingness to work with the United States to combat terrorism," Fleischer said. In the course of the week, British, French and Indonesian leaders as well as top officials from China, Germany, Russia and Saudi Arabia held talks in Washington with Bush and Powell. Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan held meetings Friday in Washington with top Bush administration officials, including Secretary of State Powell and was later due to go to the White House to see President George W. Bush. He said China condemned "all forms of terrorism in all their evil acts," and pledged US cooperation with Bush. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw planned to travel to Iran, Jordan, the Palestine Authority, and Israel next week, to help boost support for the US-led coalition. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Friday joined calls for a unity in the battle against terrorism, saying the September 11 attacks "wounded an entire world." Several US newspapers on Friday carried an advertisement from the Saudi embassy expressing Riyadh's backing. "America, we stand with you in the battle against global terrorism and in the search or peace and justice," it said. A number of Islamic nations have offered support, despite mounting concern of a backlash from fundamentalist organizations. In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, four people were killed Friday during protests by hardline Islamic groups opposed to Pakistan's support for possible US strikes on Afghanistan. The spiritual head of Kabul's main Wazir Akbar Khan mosque said the United States would be defeated in the same manner as the British and Soviet "invaders" of the past. "Bush has called it a crusade, so it's not a war against Afghans, Arabs or any other nation. It's a war against Muslims all over the world," he said. Human rights organizations, meanwhile, expressed concern as a growing tide of Afghans fled their homes ahead of a likely war, while neighboring countries tightened border controls. As tension surged around the region, UN officials in Kabul said the Taliban ordered them to suspend all communications to the outside world. Pakistani sources with close links to bin Laden dismissed rumors the terror suspect had left Afghanistan, telling AFP he was relishing the prospect of confrontation with the United States. "This is the moment he has been waiting for. His prayers are coming true," one source said. On the financial front, share prices plummeted across Europe and Asia, while Wall Street was again hit hard Friday amid fears that US strikes could spiral into a wider conflict that would tilt the world into recession. The airline sector was the hardest hit. Several European nations and the United States battled to save their airlines industries from disaster, with Washington promising an 18-billion-dollar rescue passage and airlines and Berlin agreeing to underwrite German airlines' risk for war and terrorism. When, how and what will military strike? WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (AFP) - The US ultimatum to Afghanistan's ruling Taliban has prompted speculation about how the military intends to tackle an anti-terrorism campaign against Afghanistan and other possible targets. Bush on Thursday night demanded that the Kabul rulers immediately hand over Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, blamed for the September 11 kamikaze attacks on the World trade Center and the Pentagon. Bush also demanded the destruction of bin Laden's terrorist training camps and demanded the Taliban allow US officials to verify this has been done. But he did not say exactly what the targets would be, nor when and how they would be struck. He did warn, however, that the operation would be protracted and would comprise various missions. "My guess is there will be some military action in the next week, and a sustained efforts, involving intelligence, law enforcement, and military operations over time, as terrorists resurface and we understand better the connections between all the cells, the networks and who is really responsible," said Michele Flournoy, a researcher with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) here. Combat planes and commandos from the 50,000-strong special forces could jointly strike against the bin Laden's al Qaeda network and then against the Taliban infrastructure, according to Flournoy. This is also the view of a senior military official quoted by the Washington Times. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned the global campaign against terrorism would not be a question of just firing off a few cruise missiles, but would be a long "marathon." Jane's magazine, which specializes on military issues, said in its latest issue this week that a slice of Afghan territory could be seized by American special forces commandos for a short period of time while they hunt for and detain Bin Laden and his people, provided there are solid indications that he is somewhere in that zone. "True, there will be casualties, but 50,000 US special forces routinely train for such operations, and the American public may well tolerate the price," the magazine pointed out. Army Secretary Thomas White said on Friday elite troops would play a key role in every campaign that will be launched. He stressed that the US armed forces learned from the catastrophic 1979 to 1989 Soviet involvement in Afghanistan. A mobilization of various forces, which the Pentagon says aims at giving Bush as many options as possible, was under way. B-52 bombers, used during the Gulf war to fire cruise missiles, were set to take off from the Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on Friday. On Thursday, a contingent of 2,200 marines, trained for special operations, left for the Middle East as part of a battle group led by the Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. Other aircraft carrier battle groups were also under sail. The US armed forces have a huge arsenal, including Tomahawk missiles carried by destroyers and submarines. "But the key is not fire power, the key is to have solid intelligence to make sure you strike (the right targets)," retired Lieutenant General Donald Shepperd told CNN. Washington also plans to support opposition forces in northern Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumslfeld said Friday. Bush has also warned any state harbouring terrorists could be a target. A number of conservative personalities suggested in an open letter that the United States should strike Iraq, the Lebanese Hezbollah, and possibly also Iran and Syria. US media said Secretary Colin Powell dismissed the suggestion. =========== eamil: <a href="mailto:mail@afghanradio.com?Subject=Re:%20(ai)%20[Fwd:%20Afghan%20News%2009/21/2001%20-%20#947]%2526In-Reply-To=%2526lt;3BAC7AAD.FA245B28@speconsult.com">mail@afghanradio.com</a> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Pinpoint the right security solution for your company- Learn how to add 128- bit encryption and to authenticate your web site with VeriSign's FREE guide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/JNm9_D/33_CAA/yigFAA/kgFolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ------------------ http://all.net/ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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