From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Fresh Terror Against Kabul In Sixth Day Of Bombing [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- [The U.S. and its NATO adjuncts, who have without any conceivable justification invoked Article 5 of the Atlantic Charter to support Washington's war efforts, are now in the process of completing what they began in 1979 - the destruction of a country and people who represent one of the oldest and most renowned civilizations in human history. Afghanistan, ancient Ariana and Bactria, that gave the world its first modern university in Bhalq and the father of the European Renaissance, Avicenna (Ibn-Sina), is now to be bombarded into fine powder. And this in the name of Western civilization and the 'war aganst terrorism.' ] Saturday October 13 2:33 AM ET Bombs Bring Fresh Terror to Kabul for Sixth Night By Sayed Salahuddin KABUL (Reuters) - Hopes for a respite from U.S.-led attacks on the Afghan capital Kabul came to nothing in the early hours of Saturday, as powerful explosions shattered the calm for a sixth straight night, bringing fresh terror to the city. Further to the south, warplanes bombed the Kandahar stronghold of the ruling Taliban, CNN reported. U.S.-led forces gave weary Afghans a short break for the Muslim day of prayer Friday, after a fifth night of bombing brought the Taliban's death toll estimate to nearly 300. Exhausted residents were woken by at least eight powerful explosions early Saturday, with one bomb being dropped on the battle-scarred airport, witnesses said. ``From my house I could see a bomb land on the airport, I saw a fireball, debris flying up into the sky and the initial big fire then dimming,?? one witness said. He added that none of the bombs appeared to have been targeted on the city center and that the airport had come under attack a number of times since the raids began last Sunday. But soon after 3 a.m. Saturday (2230 GMT Friday) warplanes were heard again and the first six explosions rocked the capital. ``We believe six bombs were dropped,?? one resident said. ??The shockwaves of the bombs were quite severe but there was less anti-aircraft fire seen in the sky compared to other nights.?? He said an unknown number of warplanes had been heard in the sky and that bombs appeared to have been dropped in pairs. The Kabul correspondent of the al-Jazeera Arabic language satellite television network said air defenses in Kabul appeared to be damaged. ``The radars seem to have been damaged,?? he said, explaining that anti-aircraft fire had started before explosions were heard. U.S.-led forces are hitting Afghanistan in a bid to flush out Saudi-born militant Osama bin laden, prime suspect behind the September 11 hijack plane attacks on the United States and sheltered by the ruling Taliban. CLERICS VENT ANGER More than a dozen big explosions rocked Kabul overnight on Thursday and into Friday morning. A bomb hit a munitions dump that exploded like a fireworks display as residents cowered at home, unable to flee due to a curfew and fear of being hit by the rain of U.S. bombs. The latest raids came shortly before U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney said that although there was no proof, there could be links between the discovery of four ``suspicious?? anthrax cases in the United States and bin Laden. He said the United States had ample evidence bin Laden's followers were trained in how to spread biological and chemical weapons. Friday, Afghan Muslim clerics vented their anger over the air onslaught during prayers across the war-ravaged country, urging a fight to the last breath and decreeing death to anyone who assisted the United States. ``Jihad (holy war) is now a must for every Muslim, and every Afghan who helps America can be killed,?? raged one at a mosque in the eastern city of Jalalabad, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported. ``America can destroy our country but not our faith and our principles, we will fight till the last breath,?? AIP quoted another cleric as saying in a sermon in the southern city of Kandahar. AIP, quoting a Taliban spokesman, said at least 160 people, most of them women and children, had been killed in a remote, hillside village near Jalalabad after planes dropped three bombs Wednesday night. Jalalabad, reportedly surrounded by militant training camps for bin Laden's al Qaeda network, has seen particularly heavy bombardment. Several thousand people gathered in Jalalabad after Friday prayers to protest against the strikes, while more anti-American protests took place in cities across Pakistan and other Muslim countries. Dozens more were killed or wounded and military bases hit in attacks through Thursday night on Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, the Taliban power base, said the ruling movement's Bakhtar news agency. DISTRICT RECAPTURED AIP also said Taliban forces had recaptured a western district from the opposition Northern Alliance Friday and launched attacks in the central province of Bamiyan, where the opposition had said several Taliban commanders changed sides this week. The Taliban took Qadis district of Badghis province after killing or wounding 30 opposition fighters and capturing 50 others, AIP said. The Taliban's recapture of the district, which AIP said was lost to opposition forces a few days ago, would be their first reported battle success against opposition forces since the U.S.-led strikes began. The Taliban control more than 90 percent of Afghanistan. The Northern Alliance holds the remainder. The attacks have sparked an exodus of people, many toward Pakistan, with belongings piled hastily on to donkeys. Others have crossed the rugged, porous border on camels. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
