U.S. presses attack on Kandahar


A convoy of trucks carry surrendering Taliban fighters across the Bangi Bridge on the Konduz front line.

SUMMARY:

U.S. warplanes pounded Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Thursday, following up on one of the most intense days of bombardment since the war began, sources inside the city told CNN. Meanwhile, conflicting reports about the status of Kandahar led to opposition leaders denying that their forces were entering the city, the Taliban's last remaining stronghold. And progress was reported in Germany, at a conference on Afghanistan's future government.

UPDATE:

The mood in Kandahar was said to be tense, after an Afghan man suspected of using a global positioning satellite to aid U.S. forces was hanged in the city's main square. (Full story)

Hamad Karzai, a Pashtun leader in southern Afghanistan, said Thursday that his troops are positioned outside Kandahar but have not entered the city. The Northern Alliance's deputy defense minister told CNN no offensive action by the alliance against Kandahar was under way.

In Koenigswinter, Germany, the head of the Northern Alliance delegation said Thursday the alliance will not oppose an international peacekeeping force for Afghanistan while an interim government is being set up. (Full story)

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced Thursday a new plan to crack down on terrorism, offering immigration assistance to encourage foreign nationals living in the U.S. or abroad to come forward with information about suspected terrorists. (Full story)

Police arrested three people and were seeking a fourth in connection with a crackdown on an al Qaeda cell in Italy, authorities said Thursday. The suspects are part of a logistical cell that provided weapons, explosives, and false documents to al Qaeda terrorists, authorities said. (Full story)

VIDEO

Former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that he has agreed to a meeting of ethnic Afghan groups (November 20)

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Jalalabad is calm now following a change in power, but the Afghan city could still turn bloody. CNN's Bill Delaney reports (November 19)

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		• Summary • Update • Key questions • Who's who • Impact



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KEY QUESTIONS:

Who are the Northern Alliance and other key players in the political landscape of Afghanistan, and how could U.S. military intervention affect the balance of power there? (Click here for more)

Will the Taliban surrender or will they continue to fight, possibly launching a guerilla war out of Afghanistan's mountains? (Click here for more)

Where is Mullah Omar Mohammed, the spiritual leader of the Taliban?

What kind of government will replace the Taliban if the religious group is removed as the country's government? Will there be a U.N. or international peacekeeping force in Kabul? (Click here for more)

How are the citizens of Kabul reacting to the Taliban abandoning the city? (Click here for more)

How long will the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan last? (Click here for more)

What is the goal of the U.S. airstrikes over Afghanistan? What is the key to the mission's success? (Click here for more)

What is the White House doing to prevent al Qaeda from airing what it calls "propaganda" on U.S. media outlets? (Click here for more)

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president (Click here for more)

Osama bin Laden: A wealthy Saudi expatriate living in Afghanistan who U.S. authorities cite as one of the primary suspects in masterminding the attacks. (Click here for more)

Condoleezza Rice: U.S. national security adviser. (Click here for more)

Colin Powell: U.S. secretary of state. A former Army general, Powell also served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Click here for more. (Click here for more.)

Gen. Richard B. Myers: Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Click here for more)

Gen. Tommy Franks: Head of U.S. Central Command. (Click here for more)

Donald Rumsfeld: U.S. secretary of defense. (Click here for more)

The Taliban: A group of Islamic fundamentalists, mainly from Afghanistan's Pashtun ethnic group, which is the country's largest ethnic group. The Taliban that gained control of most of the country by 1997 and instituted an extreme form of Islamic law. (Click here for more)

Northern Alliance: A group of former mujahedeen fighters, mainly from minority ethnic groups that oppose the Taliban. (Click here for more)

George Robertson: NATO secretary-general and former British defense minister. (Click here for more)

George Tenet: CIA director. (Click here for more)

IMPACT:

The military attacks that began October 7 mark the start of what the Bush administration says will be a lengthy struggle against terrorist organizations worldwide -- one that could take years.