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America Strikes Back: Does Targeting Taliban Troops Signal a New Strategy?

Aired October 22, 2001 - 06:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: As Leon mentioned just a few moments ago, U.S. F-18 fighters attacked some key positions -- some key Taliban troop positions along a battle line near Kabul.

Let's go now to northern Afghanistan and talk with Matthew Chance about that -- hello, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Catherine, significant developments here in northern Afghanistan with U.S.-led coalition warplanes continuing to strike overnight on Taliban front- line positions, those north of Kabul.

It seems pretty quiet right now, but on Sunday local time, we witnessed some other U.S.-led coalition airstrikes on those front lines. Local Northern Alliance fighters stood and pointed at the air as those two U.S.-led coalition warplanes streaked across the skies, dropping their bombs on what Northern Alliance commanders tell us were front-line Taliban positions.

It's something we haven't seen a great deal of throughout the course of the air war against Afghanistan. Certainly, it ratchets up the pressure on the Taliban and those troop concentrations north of Kabul.

It also gives the Northern Alliance forces something they've been demanding for some time now, which is close air support on those Taliban front-line positions to enable them to achieve their ultimate military objective, which is, of course, an advance and a capture, ultimately, of the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Now, when I was down standing on that front line earlier, it was a very tense situation down there. A lot of artillery exchanges between the two sides -- between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. No sign at that point, though, of any Northern Alliance push towards the capital, but clearly in the light of these latest developments, we're watching the situation very closely -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Matthew, do you get the feeling that this is a real turn in the U.S. strikes there? Is the feeling on the ground the same?

CHANCE: Well, certainly the hope amongst Northern Alliance commanders that this is a turning point in the U.S. strategy regarding airstrikes in Afghanistan. We haven't seen enough evidence of that, though, to say categorically that this is change of policy by Washington, but we've certainly seen U.S. airstrikes on front-line Taliban positions.

But it's not clear yet whether these are just airstrikes to, in some way, appease the Northern Alliance demands for close air support, or whether this is actually a change of strategy by Washington to clear away those Taliban front-line positions, essentially opening the fields to a Northern Alliance advance to Kabul.

That's why we're watching the situation so carefully -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right. Thank you -- CNN's Matthew Chance inside northern Afghanistan.

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