The Northern Alliance Ready to Advance on Kabul

The U.S. resumed air strikes of bombing planes and fighter-bombers in the early morning on Saturday (Afghanistan time) after a short respite for the Islam day of prayer on Friday.

Witnesses said that many buildings in Kabul were destroyed by this severe aerial strikes, and the Taliban army strongly resisted with the anti-aircraft fire against the U.S. warplanes.

A high-ranking official of the Defense Department revealed on Friday that the Northern Alliance, which have fought against Taliban for a long time, took over Chaghcharan in Ghowr province, which is a strategic point of the central Afghanistan.

According to The Guardian, a British newspaper, on 12th, while the Northern Alliance is ready for its military advance toward Kabul within few days, the U.S., England, and Pakistan are restraining the independent action of the Northern Alliance.

The U.K.`s daily newspapers reported on Friday that there will be no commitment of the ground troops until next spring due to the difficulties of winter military operation by quoting a government official`s words.

The News, a Pakistan newspaper, reported yesterday that the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, lost seven family members, including his eldest son, since the air-strikes began. On 11th, his eldest son and step-father were confirmed dead, and on 12th, second son was wounded by the bombing and then died in hospital. Omar also lost four other family members, including a wife, among his four wives, one daughter, and a sister-in-law, during the previous strikes.

Lee Jong-Hwan ljhzip@donga.com