Strikes open way for ground war

The Northern Alliance is preparing to advance on the Afghan capital of Kabul.

"We are getting ready to attack Kabul," says tank commander Sardar, as his battered armored personnel carrier is fitted with a new 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun in the market of the rebel-controlled village of Jabal Siraj. "Commander Fahim told us yesterday to get ready," he says.

But it won't be easy, in part, because of what awaits them when they finally receive the orders to cross the front line. Alliance spies who are operating behind Taliban lines say they will meet a much-more aggressive militia reinforced by holy warriors from across the region who are loyal to Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network.

These spies say that up to 2,000 Pakistani, Arab, Chechen, and even Central Asian fighters have been sent from Kabul to the Bagram front line in the two days since American bombing began.

Though the 15,000 strong Alliance soldiers are far outnumbered - about 3 to 1 - they believe the US will provide air cover for their attack. US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld states explicitly that American strikes are designed, in part, to pave the way for the Alliance to move decisively against the Taliban.

"The United States is interested in the elements of Afghans on the ground that have it in their mind that they would like to end Al Qaeda's role in Afghanistan and end the senior Taliban's role," Mr. Rumsfeld told reporters in a briefing on Monday.

If they are able to take Kabul and secure the Bagram air base, Alliance sources and other experts say, that could accomplish three goals. It will deal a critical blow to the Taliban regime, presaging their likely fall from power. It will send bin Laden and his followers to their mountain hideouts. And it could provide a secure air base where supplies for the Alliance and US Special Operations troops, as well as humanitarian aid, could be flown.

But taking Kabul, for the Alliance, whose top leaders still say publicly that isn't their primary goal, will not be easy. Their strategy depends on three elements: American military support, a mass popular uprising against the Taliban in Kabul, and defections of thousands of Taliban forces to their side.

To prepare for the onslaught, Alliance leaders have called up reserve troops to bolster their 15,000-strong militia, and Alliance chief Gen. Muhammad Fahim has ordered them to repair their equipment.

In the shadow of the green-capped village mosque in Jabal Siraj, the new machinegun mount is arc-welded into place on Commander Sardar's tank. Grinders smooth over a rough hinge for an armored hatch; and more than a dozen two-foot-long Sagger rockets are laid out on the ground for cleaning.

They are preparing, Sardar says, to meet these holy warriors - the Taliban's so-called "foreign legion." It's estimated that these fighters make up about one quarter of the Taliban's 40,000-strong forces. They have played an increasingly important military role by often spearheading offensive operations, and are known to be far more aggressive in combat.

"They have moved Chechens, Pakistani, Kashmiri, and Arab troops to this front in the past two days, because they are much stronger fighters," says Alliance Commander Lalaga, at Bagram, 30 miles north of Kabul.

"The Taliban brought lots of ammunition, arms, and soldiers," he adds. "We have seen the lights of their cars during the night, reinforcing to the Taliban front."

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