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Published Report: Bush Approves ‘Covert Effort’ in Afghanistan

NEW YORK – A published report says President Bush has approved what is described as a “covert effort” to help unify the fractured opposition to Taleban rule in Afghanistan.

The New York Times, in its Monday edition, U.S. officials are refusing to say if Mr. Bush has signed a secret directive authorizing covert activity. They also refuse to say how much money may be involved or how it may be spent. However, the newspaper quotes an unnamed U.S. official as saying the assistance is intended not only for the Northern Alliance – the main military force opposing the Taleban – but also for tribal groups in the south in areas under Taleban control.

The New York Times says president Bush also authorized $100 million in new relief aid for Afghan refugees, many of whom are living in squalid camps just across the Afghan border in Pakistan. And according to the report, the Bush administration is considering air-dropping food supplies inside Afghanistan but wants to make sure they do not fall into Taleban hands. Meanwhile, there have been reports of new fighting in northern Afghanistan, the only part of the country with an organized military opposition to Taleban rule.

The Northern Alliance says about 1,000 Taleban fighters have deserted their posts or defected to the opposition in recent days and that Alliance forces have recaptured some territory lost to the Taleban.

In another development, Taleban authorities say six men have been arrested for distributing pamphlets calling on people to support the United States and former Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah.

The Northern Alliance launched a new offensive against the Taleban shortly after the murder of the opposition forces’ top military commander, Ahmad Shah Masood, earlier this month.

Elsewhere, Taleban radio reports that there was an explosion in Baghram, near Kabul on Saturday that killed 12 opposition soldiers. The Associated Press quotes an opposition spokesman who says the explosion killed five people.

There has been no independent confirmation of the battlefield claims.

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