America’s first losses in Afghanistan.35 dead
The dead bodies of 35 American soldiers, who died in Afghanistan were delivered to Pakistan. Dozens of the military men from the special forces were wounded and they all were also evacuated to the army base on the outskirts of the city of Jeikobabad (Pakistan handed over that base to the USA).
These are the tragic results of the only one special operation in the south of Afghanistan. According to the information, published in the Pakistani News paper, the American soldiers died and some were wounded during the special operation against the gunmen from the terrorist al-Qaeda group on Tuesday. The newspaper wrote there were S-130 transport jets ready to go on the airbase in order to take the bodies and wounded soldiers to the US vessels in the Arabian Sea. It was also said that the Pentagon deliberately kept silent about the US losses. The American embassy in Islamabad did not comment on that information either.
In the meantime, the situation in some of the regions of Afghanistan is still very tense. The brutal battle commenced this morning between the forces of the Northern Alliance and the Taliban guerrillas for the city of Kunduz.
Spokesmen for the Northern Alliance mentioned, about 400 followers of the Taliban movement, the civilians basically, took the side of the Northern Alliance during November 22 – 23. There are also rumours in the media that international terrorist from Jordan, Khattab, who was actively waging war against the Russian federal forces in the republic of Chechnya, moved over to Afghanistan's territory. This could actually really happen, for Khattab started his “military career” in Afghanistan, at the time, when the Taliban was being set up. The Russian special services rejected that information several hours after it came up, though. A spokesman for the Russian Federal Security Service claimed they did not have any information to confirm Khattab moved to Afghanistan. At the same time the Russian special services did not say, if Khattab was in Chechnya.
Reuters photo: Northern Alliance soldiers go to the front line at the border of Kunduz province, the only province in the Northern Afghanistan still under the Taliban control, November 23, 2001
AP : Taliban Took Interest in Kabul Lab AP : U.S.: Some Al-Qaida, Taliban in Kunduz Reuters : Taliban Cling to Kunduz; Signs of Opposition Rift Washington Post : Pakistan Closes Talibans Last Embassy Christian Science Monitor : Behind Hamburgs Al Qaeda The Times (UK) : Faces of terror: The eight men accused of running al-Qaedas European network Sunday Times (UK) : Death of Bin Ladens deputy: How the US killed Al-Qaeda leaders by remote control Sunday Times (UK) : Secrets of Al-Qaeda: Network studied Oklahoma-style bomb
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