Rabat | Monday
AMERICAN B-52 planes carried out carpet bombing on Taliban positions north of Kabul on Monday as opposition forces were preparing to go on the offensive.
American planes, including one B-52 and at least two F-18s hit targets starting at 9:00 am (0430 GMT) on the southern portion of the front line near Bagram airport and Karabagh.
The B-52 struck twice with carpet bombing, taking out an ammunition depot whose ordnances were heard firing off for several minutes after the strike.
The US attacks, which lasted for around 20 minutes, came as the opposition United Front moved tanks and troops to the front line in preparation for a push southwards towards Kabul.
The frontline, which are usually poorly manned, were bristling with activity as soldiers and commanders went back and forth between command posts in a bid to take advantage of a series of victories over the Taliban in the north of Afghanistan.
United Front artillery, mostly quiet in recent days, could be heard on Monday lobbing shells on Taliban positions at various points along the frontline.
However, the Taliban returned fire with a series of mortar attacks from the western portion of the frontline.
A senior Northern Alliance leader Dr Abdullah Abdullah warned the Taliban on Sunday to ”think very seriously about Kabul,” adding: ”What has happened to the Taliban in the north is a disaster.” Abdullah, who is the Afghan government in exile’s foreign minister, said opposition forces were looking to continue the ”domino effect,” which saw the key cities of Mazar-i-Sharif, Taloqan and Pol-i-Komri fall anti-Taliban alliance. – Sapa-AFP