Kabul | Wednesday
AMERICA now controls the skies over Afghanistan, and launched another daylight bombing raid to the south of the country on Wednesday, triggering heavy anti-aircraft fire.
”There are four to five planes flying around the city,” Taliban foreign ministry official Nematulah said in a telephone interview, as the fire of air defence batteries sounded in the background.
Kandahar residents said they heard at least four loud explosions coming from the direction of the city’s airport, which has been a regular target since US-led forces began their strikes against Taliban positions three days ago.
Kandahar is the Taliban’s spiritual heartland and home to the Islamic militia’s reclusive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, who is said to have narrowly escaped a missile attack on his residence on Tuesday morning.
”Omar was seen leaving his home just minutes before the missiles hit,” said one local resident, who added that the civilian population of Kandahar was taking the day and night raids in its stride.
‘We’ve been used to this kind of atmosphere for 20 years,” he said. ”As soon as they hear the planes coming, people take cover in cellars and basements, or anywhere they can find.’ – Kandahar resident ”We’ve been used to this kind of atmosphere for 20 years,” he said. ”As soon as they hear the planes coming, people take cover in cellars and basements, or anywhere they can find.
”Anyway, most of the attacks have been out at the airport, so there hasn’t been that much panic in the city itself,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Al-Qaeda network of Saudi extremist Osama bin Laden warned on Wednesday the United States would face further attacks by hijacked planes and urged ”all Muslims” to join in a jihad, or holy war against America.
”The Americans must know that the storm of airplanes will not stop,” Al-Qaeda representative Suleiman Abu Ghaith warned.
Abu Gaith was speaking in Arabic in a pre-recorded message broadcast by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite television station, nearly one month after hijackers rammed fuel-laden passenger jets into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, killing around 5 500 people.
‘There are thousands of young people who look forward to death like the Americans look forward to living.’ – Al-Qaeda representative Suleiman Abu Ghaith ”There are thousands of young people who look forward to death like the Americans look forward to living,” he said.
”American interests are everywhere, all over the world. And every Muslim has to play his real and true role to uphold his religion (and) his nation.”
He said US-led military strikes against Afghanistan – which continued on Tuesday for a third day — had ”opened a door that will never be closed”.
”America must know that by coming to the land of Afghanistan they’ve opened up a new page of animosity between us and the forces of the unbelievers.”
Washington accuses Afghanistan’s hardline Islamic rulers of protecting bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Since Sunday US-led forces have launched missiles and bombs against Afghanistan’s major cities, suspected terrorist training camps and the residential compound of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
The Al-Qaeda representative said the kamikaze hijackers who carried out the September 11 attacks ”had done a good deed”.
”They have moved the battle into the heart of America. America must know that the battle will not leave this land until America leaves our land, until it stops supporting Israel, until it stops the blockade against Iraq,” he said.
”We will fight them with every material that we have and with all our faith in God. We shall be victorious.”
Northern Alliance capitalises on US air strikes
In other developments in Afghanistan, the opposition coalition are said to have captured several districts in the north of the country, reports the Washington Post.
The paper said that rebel commanders had decided to link their forces through the middle of the country – in an attempt to cut off the Taliban forces in the north.
It is thought that this will force the Taliban to abandon the north and retreat to their original base of support to the south of the country, the paper said.
The Washington Post quoted opposition officials as saying that 40 Taliban commanders, along with 1 200 of their men, switched sides this week and handed over a significant stretch of road – a north-west highway, north of Kabul, to the rebels.
This apparently means that the Taliban now have no direct link between it’s bases in the south and locations in the north, the paper said, adding that the only alternative was an out of the way, winding highway. Sapa-AFP, DMG reporter
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