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Northern Alliance plans offensive
©New York Times, JABUL-SERAJ, Afghanistan -- As Northern Alliance forces showed off 40 Russian-built battle tanks in a military parade in northern Afghanistan, its leaders suggested that an offensive against the Taliban could come in the form of a powerful strike toward Kabul coordinated with expected American airstrikes. The military parade on a parched plain close to the border with Tajikistan included 3,000 uniformed reservists, armored personnel carriers and 10 rocket launchers. It was by far the largest display of materiel by the Northern Alliance since it became a chief focus of American-led efforts to dislodge Afghanistan's militant Islamic Taliban government. How much of the equipment was newly provided was unclear. But it looked new and battle ready, in contrast to the rusted, broken-down weapons evident in other areas controlled by the alliance. Russia said last week that it would provide weapons and military equipment to forces aligned against the Taliban, and it appeared possible that some of this promised military hardware had already moved across the Tajikistan border. The alliance also appears to be coordinating its efforts and planning with the United States. Abdullah Abdullah, the designated foreign minister of the alliance that is the main Afghan opposition movement, said that he met last week with American diplomats and is in regular telephone contact with American officials. "We are discussing every issue related to fighting against a common enemy," he said. The Bush administration has said it will provide funds to the alliance but has declined to give details on the precise nature of its contacts. With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and onset of harsh winter weather only six weeks away, the time available for any significant advance southward toward Kabul or westward toward the main Taliban-controlled northern town, Mazar-I-Sharif, appears limited. At the parade, witnessed by a photographer working for the New York Times, the new commander of the Northern Alliance, Gen. Muhammad Fahim, surveyed soldiers in what appeared to be new fatigues holding Kalashnikov rifles and rocket launchers. "Today you soldiers have shown that you are ready to fight for the freedom of the people of Afghanistan and to defeat the Taliban and terrorism," he said. The 3,000 reservists form part of an army with an estimated strength of about 15,000 men. The forces control about 10 percent of the country and face a Taliban force estimated at about 40,000 men. The apparent hope of the alliance is that the combination of expected airstrikes, a ground offensive and defections by Taliban commanders could allow them to enter Kabul rapidly. Alliance forces here on the front line are 35 miles from the Afghan capital, where they have remained stalled for years. But such a plan could be optimistic. The alliance is short of men and has struggled to hold on to any new territory it gains. It is by no means clear that it is capable of mounting the sort of offensive it appears to be envisioning. Nor is there any independent way of confirming that a reported fraying of the Taliban's ranks is real. The Taliban is a proven guerrilla force with a record of absorbing setbacks, regrouping, and exploiting the rugged terrain of Afghanistan to inflict losses. Pressure is growing on the alliance to make a move. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins Nov. 17 this year. Fighting between the two sides traditionally slows each year during Ramadan. The United States is likely to refrain from carrying out airstrikes on Muslims during Ramadan out of fear it could provoke a backlash in Muslim countries. The onset of severely cold weather, which impedes fighting here, is expected around the same time. The major offensive would have to be carried out before then, military officials say.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
