Franks: U.S. tactics in war were just right

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- The commander of the U.S. forces in the Afghanistan conflict defended the campaign Saturday, despite its failure to capture the leaders of al-Qaida and the Taliban.

"The tactics in this operation were just the right tactics," Gen. Tommy R. Franks said in Islamabad after meeting with Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

Franks said he did not believe Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaida, or Mullah Mohammed Omar, head of the Taliban, would have been captured even if the United States had committed large numbers of ground troops into the country sooner after Sept. 11.

Instead, Franks said, such an invasion would have alienated Afghans, who have rallied to oppose foreigners perceived as invaders.

"One does not want to commit the mistakes that have been committed by other people in the past," he said, alluding to the Soviet military occupation of Afghanistan, from 1979 to 1989, and the 19th century attempts by Britain to conquer the nation's clans. Both efforts ended in catastrophe.

Franks also said the United States would not withdraw forces operating from Pakistan despite its tensions with India.

ANTI-TALIBAN FORCES KILLED: U.S. forces mistakenly killed 18 anti-Taliban soldiers during a raid on a school where weapons surrendered by the Taliban were being held, a witness charged. Three other people died when U.S. warplanes attacked a building during the same raid in Uruzgan, in southern Afghanistan, Abdul Salaam, a local shopkeeper, said.

"This is not the fault of the Americans," Salaam said. "This is the sin of the person who gave the Americans a false report that there were al-Qaida or Taliban in the building."

U.S. military spokesmen denied the reports.

"It doesn't add up," said Lt. Col. Jim Yonts, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command in Tampa. "We don't know anything about any attack on a school."

Marjan the one-eyed lion, symbol of suffering, dies

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Marjan the one-eyed lion, the most famous of the war-battered beasts at the Kabul Zoo, has died just as international help had begun pouring in to ease the animals' plight, an official leading the aid efforts said Saturday.

Marjan, believed to be around 25, probably died of kidney and liver failure connected to old age, said John Walsh, international projects director of the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

The lion had a hard life. In the 1990s, an Afghan guerrilla showing off for his friends jumped over the guardrail into Marjan's den, and the lion killed him. The next day, the dead man's vengeful brother threw a grenade into the cage, and the explosion took out Marjan's eye.

Last week, representatives of the WSPA toured the zoo to assess the most urgent needs in a rehabilitation effort the group is coordinating. It had planned to put a ramp from Marjan's cage to his den because he had so much trouble getting around.

Walsh called Marjan a symbol of Afghanistan's travails and spirit.

"Even though blind, he was a tough, brave old guy," Walsh said. "I consider myself a pretty rough guy, but I cried" when he found Marjan dead.

U.N. chief wins Iranian support for Afghans

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran supports the Afghan interim government and has "no love for al-Qaida or the Taliban," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Saturday.

"We got assurance from Iran on supporting the interim government," Annan told a joint press conference with Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi.

Iran pledged "maximum cooperation" with the central government in Kabul and rejected U.S. accusations that Tehran was seeking to destabilize its neighbor.

Annan, on a regional tour to build support for Kabul's interim government, said Iranians were determined to keep al-Qaida or Taliban members out if they attempted to enter Iran.

"They have no love for al-Qaida or the Taliban, and they do not have ideological, religious or political support for either group," Annan said. "They assured me . . . they are determined to keep them out and if any of them have slipped in without the knowledge of the (Iranian) government, they will be hunted down and dealt with."

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright