400 U.S. Soldiers Arrived in Pakistan

The United States rushed into a final preparation for ground operations in Afghanistan by deploying hundreds of U.S. soldiers and attack helicopters in Pakistan.

Pakistani newspaper, DAWN, reported on Oct. 11, citing Pakistani government officials, that at least15 U.S. military aircrafts, including C-130 transport planes and helicopters, and numerous U.S. military personnel arrived over past two days at Jacobabad airport in southern Sindh province of Pakistan.

The newspaper added that the aircrafts appeared to be dispatched immediately to Afghanistan after being refueled in Pakistan. It went to report that U.S. military airplanes appeared to arrive soon as evacuation orders had been given to four bases, namely, Pasini airbase in Baluchistan province and those in Deri-Ghazi Kahn, Panjigur and Wahdal.

The Washington Post reported as well on the same day, ``U.S. was allowed to use two civil airports in Baluchistan and Sindh provinces, and accordingly about 400 U.S. were already in those areas.``

A Pakistani government official said, ``I heard that those airports would be used as facilities to prepare for ground operations of U.S. Special Forces.``

The United States continued final raids on Afghan capital Kabul, the Taliban stronghold Kandahar and Shamshad bordering Pakistan, which were the heaviest yet of their onslaught on Afghanistan.

The U.S. bombing campaign changed its targets from anti-aircraft defense facilities to ground military forces and concentrated on the Taliban`s military camps, fortresses and barracking areas. The U.S. bombers have begun using 2,200-kilogram `bunker buster` bombs against deeply buried bunkers and underground control centers.

The Taliban alleged that 76 civilians had been killed and a mosque in Jalalabad was destroyed as a result of airstrikes. A U.S. intelligence agency official said that two relatives of Taliban Leader Mullah Mohammed Omar and several top Taliban official were dead.

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reportedly submitted a report to U.S. President George W. Bush recently, which said Osama bin Laden had become the biggest supporter who had aided the Taliban with about 100 billion dollars in cash and military supports.

Han Ki-Heung eligius@donga.com