October 8, 2001

Pre-Dawn Raid Launched on Afghan Capital -Witnesses
Monday October 8 8:36 PM ET
KABUL (Reuters) - Three big blasts rocked the Afghan capital on Tuesday as U.S. warplanes launched a pre-dawn raid on targets in Kabul, witnesses said.

US launches new attacks on Afghanistan, America goes on high alert
WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (AFP) - American warplanes pummeled Afghanistan for a second day Monday, as the United States went on high alert and braced for reprisals in the long-haul war on international terrorism.

VOA expands Pashtu, Dari broadcasts to Afghanistan in wake of airstrikes
Tuesday October 9, 2:56 AM
WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (AFP) - Voice of America, the US-funded international broadcaster, expanded its broadcasts in Afghanistan's two main languages on Monday after the United States

Taliban minister killed in U.S. attacks, alliance envoy says
.c Kyodo News Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (Kyodo) - Taliban Civil Aviation Minister Akhtal Mansoor was killed in U.S.-led air strikes on Afghanistan, the representative in the United States of Afghanistan's anti-Taliban

Air attacks resume in Afghanistan
Tuesday October 9, 5:49 AM
WASHINGTON, October 8 (AFP) - US warplanes and sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles struck targets in Afghanistan Monday on the second consecutive night of a US military campaign

Britain involved in Afghanistan "for the long haul": Blai
Tuesday October 9, 2:55 AM
LONDON, Oct 8 (AFP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair told parliament Monday that Britain was involved in military action in Afghanistan "for the long haul" as he confirmed that a fresh wave of attacks

U.S. Now Fears Stinger Missiles It Gave Afghans
By Jim Wolf
Monday October 8 6:03 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - CIA-supplied Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which helped drive Soviet forces from Afghanistan in the 1980s, have come back to haunt U.S. military aircraft dropping

China voices support for fight on terror
By Bill Savadove
Tuesday October 9, 1:28 AM
BEIJING (Reuters) - In China's strongest statement yet of support for strikes on Afghanistan, President Jiang Zemin told U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday that he understood

Local Afghan Refugee Willing To Fight For U.S.
Monday October 08 04:05 PM EDT
WJXT News4Jax.com
A former refugee from Afghanistan said Monday that he would volunteer to go back to his former country to fight alongside American soldiers in the United States' war against terrorism.

Afghan Taliban Escort British Reporter to Pakistan
Monday October 8 12:06 PM ET
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban escorted a British journalist, Yvonne Ridley, to neighboring Pakistan Monday after releasing her from a 10-day detention, Pakistani border officials said.

Army reshuffle: New ISI chief takes over
By Saleh Zaafir October 8, 2001
Jang Newspaper (Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD: In the ongoing reshuffle in the high command of the Pakistan army, a number of new corps commanders and the new Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief have been appointed.

Afghanistan After the Taliban
NY Times Op-ed 10/7/01
By OLIVIER ROY, DREUX, France
Twenty years of war have left Afghanistan so devastated that the only remaining basis for politics lies in ethnic and regional factions. Efforts to unite Afghans with a class- based ideology failed years ago

After Mullah Omar, who?
Aditya Sinha
The Hindustan Times - Sunday, October 7, 2001
After Mullah Mohd Omar, who? In the event of an internal coup within the Taliban, the West has indicated a preference for the acting chief of the Taliban Cabinet, Mullah Mohd Hasan Akhund.

Pakistan a big brother to Taliban
MOHUA CHATTERJEE
The Times of India Online SUNDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2001
NEW DELHI: Pakistan seems to be bailing out the Taliban government in Afghanistan for its mere survival, according to a home ministry report. The report claims the Taliban government has no source

Pakistan not in favour of Zahir Shah
By Tariq Butt
Jang(Pakistan) - October 8, 2001
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is not in favour of any role to be played by former Afghan king Zahir Shah in the future Afghan set-up because of the ex-monarch's consistent anti-Pakistan stand during his long rule.

Only the Northern Alliance Can Bring Peace and Eliminate Terrorist Bases'
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung / Oct. 7, 2001
Burhanuddin Rabbani, 61, is still the president of Afghanistan -- at least in those parts of the country where anti-Taleban forces are still in control. Mr. Rabbani's government, which came to power in 1992

U.S.-British forces launch new strikes on Afghanistan
By Charles Aldinger
Tuesday October 9, 12:49 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British forces struck targets in Afghanistan on Monday, the second day of a campaign to weaken the Taliban military and disrupt guerrilla

Tajikistan to open airspace to US planes: official
Monday October 8, 11:49 PM
DUSHANBE, Oct 8 (AFP) - Tajikistan confirmed on Monday it was opening its airspace to US planes that are bombing terrorist bases in neighbouring Afghanistan

U.S. Seeks Afghan Hearts, Minds as Bombing Continues
Monday October 8 1:46 PM ET
By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In addition to bombs and cruise missiles, U.S. warplanes are raining down meatless meals, leaflets and, perhaps soon

Taliban warns of revenge over US-British air strikes; 25 reported dead
Monday October 8, 7:21 PM
ISLAMABAD, Oct 8 (AFP) - Afghanistan's hardline Taliban regime vowed Monday to avenge US and British air strikes against its territory which London said caused

Afghanistan neighbours in the front line
Monday October 8, 6:46 PM
PARIS, Oct 8 (AFP) - Afghanistan, the target of US reprisals for the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, is a land-locked country bordered by six nations

Afghan opposition says U.S. strikes were successful
JABAL-US-SARAJ, Afghanistan, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The foreign minister of Afghanistan's opposition Northern Alliance said on Monday that U.S. strikes against Taliban targets had

US declares strikes 'success'
Monday, 8 October, 2001, 12:31 GMT 13:31 UK BBC News
Kabul residents salvage belongings from a destroyed house
The United States has declared its air assault on Afghanistan on Sunday a great success, but warned it was only the opening salvo of a war against terrorism that could last for years.

Taliban remain Defiant, vow to fight back
ISLAMABAD, Oct 8 (AFP) ­ The Taliban Islamic militia remained defiant Monday after US-led strikes in Afghanistan, pledging to fight back and wage a drawn-out guerrilla

Kabul residents flee fearing further US-led attacks
KABUL, Oct 8 (AFP) - Residents of the Afghan capital expressed relief Monday that civilians had not been targeted by overnight US-led military strikes but many still fled

Afghan opposition claims capture of airport from Taliban
ISLAMABAD, Oct 8 (AFP) - Afghan opposition forces on Monday claimed they had captured an airport in the central provincial capital of Chaghcharan following overnight

Musharraf Warns Northern Alliance
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Monday that he hoped for a short military campaign against Osama

Musharraf Outs Pro-Taliban Generals
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's president has sidelined two pro-Taliban generals in a reshuffle of senior military ranks announced

Opposition buoyed by US strikes
Monday, 8 October, 2001, 04:30 GMT 05:30 UK BBC News
The Northern Alliance feels it has a unique chance
Afghanistan's anti-Taleban Northern Alliance are taking advantage of the regime's vulnerable position in the wake of US-led military strikes to launch their own attacks.

Thousands flee Kabul
Monday, 8 October, 2001, 10:51 GMT 11:51 UK
Taleban soldiers are still patrolling Kabul
Thousands of people are fleeing the Afghan capital, Kabul, fearing more US-led air strikes.
The Taleban ambassador to Pakistan told Reuters the "horrendous terrorist attacks" had killed at least 20 people across the country.

Ex-Afghan Commander Plots Anti-Taliban Coalition
Friday October 5 6:52 AM ET
By Tom Heneghan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Abdul Haq has always liked to prepare his attacks carefully, whether against a single pylon feeding electricity to

Rumsfeld Attacks on Afghanistan "very successful"
By Charles Aldinger
WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - U.S. and British attacks on Taliban military targets and training bases in Afghanistan were "very successful," but more strikes

India says US strike hit Afghan infrastructure
NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (Reuters) - A senior Indian army official said on Monday that intelligence authorities believed the U.S.-led military strikes against Afghanistan had

Muslim reaction to raids mostly peaceful
By Terry Friel
Monday October 8, 6:11 PM
JAKARTA (Reuters) - The U.S.-led raids on Afghanistan provoked a range of responses from Muslims -- from statements of support, to violent protests in Pakistan

Ex-Afghan king "shocked, saddened" by attack: aide
ROME, Oct 7 (AFP) - A top aide to former Afghan monarch Mohammed Zahir Shah said Sunday he was "shocked and saddened" by the US attacks in Afghanistan

Iran supreme leader condemns strikes on Afghanistan
By Jon Hemming
TEHRAN, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday condemned U.S. strikes on neighbouring Afghanistan, saying the raids would kill

U.N. halts food aid shipments to Afghanistan
ROME (Reuters) - The United Nations World Food Programme halted food aid shipments to millions of Afghans after the U.S.-led strikes overnight but aims to resume

Anti-U.S. mob sets fire to U.N. office in Pakistan
QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Anti-U.S. demonstrators attacked United Nations buildings in the capital of Pakistan's Baluchistan province on Monday,

'Afghanistan can never be destroyed'
Al-Ahram Weekly Online -  4 - 10 October 2001
A former head of Pakistan's intelligence service tells Khaled Dawoud that a US attack against Afghanistan would result in an even bigger calamity