UN Set to Ask for Halt Bombing

The Observer, a British weekly newspaper, reported yesterday that, in the intensification of the war caused by the U.S. commitment of ground troop, the United Nations (UN) is planning to appeal to the U.S. and its coalition allies to halt the bombing on Afghanistan in order to perform a huge relief operation.

▼ The plan to appeal for halt bombing = The Observer, quoting an UN sources in Pakistan, reported, ``UN decided to appeal for halt the bombing because unless the strikes stop, there will be a huge number of deaths.``

Citing some relief agencies, the Observer continued that the young and the old are already dying in refugee camps around the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

▼ China-Russia agreement on early finishing of the war = Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who are attending at a summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Shanghai, agreed on that `the military strikes of the U.S. and its coalition allies on Afghanistan should be finished early` in their summit talks on 21st.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said, ``They reached an agreement that current military phase should be changed to political phase.``

▼ War situation = The AP reported, quoting a Taliban high-ranking official, that 18 civilians, including 4 children, were dead by the U.S. bombing on Kabul on Oct. 21st.

According to the foreign news, More than 100 U.S. commandos and light infantry rangers fought with Taliban forces near Kandahar and killed some 20 Taliban soldiers.

On 19th, a Black Hawk helicopter involved in support operation in Pakistan was crashed and two American military personnel were killed. But the U.S. military did not confirm the specific military operation that the helicopter was doing. It is the first time that American military personnel were killed since the U.S. strikes on Afghanistan began.

kimsk@donga.com