Bush “ War on Dangerous Stage“

The United States rushed an active ground campaign to collapse the Taliban`s last major holdout of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.

The AH-1W Cobras assaulted 15 tanks and armored personnel carriers and destroyed some of them, said the Marine spokesman, Capt. David Romley.

Defense Department Spokeswoman Victoria Clark said that some 500 U.S. Marines took over an airstrip near Kandahar under the support of the U.S. Air Forces. It is the first time that the U.S. ground forces took over the held-out Taliban.

The U.S. plans to actively attack Kandahar with the Northern Alliance forces by additionally deploying 1,000 soldiers.

Against the U.S.`s fierce attacks, the Taliban has prepared for a do-or-die battle by deploying 17,000 soldiers including 5,000 voluntary foreign soldiers near Kandahar. And the Taliban`s voluntary prisoners, who raised an up-rise at Mazar-i-Sharif in previous day, have kept the resistance with weapons for the past three days, reported the foreign newspapers.

Meanwhile, President George W. Bush said on 26th regarding the biggest ground operation since the war began, "The fighting in Afghanistan has entered a messy, more deadly phase that poses new dangers for both U.S. troops."

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said in a press conference, "Currently, the marine troops have undertaken the cutoff mission controlling the Taliban forces and al Qaeda prisoners."

Jong-Dae Ha orionha@donga.com