WASHINGTON – U.S. and British forces are pounding military targets inside Afghanistan, in retaliation for the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
The Pentagon says sea-launched cruise missiles have struck sites inside the South Asian nation. U.S. authorities say land-based stealth bombers also blanketed targets in key cities including the capital, Kabul, and the southern city of Kandahar.
A Taleban official says the attacks have caused no major damage. But other Afghan sources say the strikes hit the Kandahar airport, destroying radar facilities and the control tower.
Explosions have also been heard in the capital, Kabul, and the eastern city of Jalalabad. Electricty was knocked out in Kabul shortly after the attacks began but came back on about two hours later.
A Taleban official says it has shot down a western plane in the southern Afghan province of Farah. The Pentagon has refused to comment on the claim.
Less than three hours after the attacks began, the Pentagon said U.S. aircraft began dropping humanitarian relief supplies to Afghan refugees concentrated near the border with Pakistan.
CNN said Radio Kabul has stopped broadcasting. The network also reports that a second wave of attacks on Kandahar may have targeted the home of Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.
The Taleban cleric has admitted hiding chief terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden, the reputed mastermind behind the deadly attacks on the United States.
Late Sunday, the Taleban ambassador to Pakistan said both the cleric and the suspected mastermind survived the initial U.S.-led attacks. The Taleban has condemned the retaliation, calling it terrorism.
Some information for this report provided by DPA
