US warms to rebels, slowly

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says hundreds more special forces men are "cocked and ready" to operate in Afghanistan, though severe weather is slowing their effort.

But some analysts question whether the US can embrace such an unprepared armed group of rebels on the ground to achieve its aims.

"Is this a tenable military force?" Arkin asks, listing current policy considerations. "Maybe we had a too-romantic idea of the Northern Alliance and what they are capable of."

The immediate effect of the bombing on the Taliban has been a boost in their morale, because they are surviving the bombing. "But that will wear off," Arkin says. "The question is: Can America run the marathon?"

There are signs that the US is stepping up its pace of warfare. Just a few weeks ago, the US discouraged an advance on Kabul, lacking a political gameplan. But over the weekend, Mr. Rumsfeld said it was "mindless" to slow the war for political reasons: "I don't think it's possible to manage the war campaign on the ground under a political timetable" of installing a post-Taliban government.

The US has stepped up its air attacks on Taliban positions north of Kabul and around the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. The alliance reported gains over the weekend, saying it had captured the Aq Kubruk district south of the city and killed 20 Taliban soldiers when 800 Taliban fighters defected.

While pinpoint US strikes are "having an effect," the increased US help on the ground - including at least 20 uniformed Americans on the northern front - reflects a new calculation in Washington, says alliance General Babajan.

The big change came with the killing in Afghanistan a week ago of opposition chief Abdul Haq, an ethnic Pashtun - the group that dominates the Taliban. He had been key to US-led political efforts to form a future government. "Now the Americans understand that the only way to succeed is to strike militarily and work very closely with the Northern Alliance," Babajan says.

Privately, however, rebel commanders say their forces are far from prepared to move on strategic objectives.

During a weekend military exercise for hundreds of troops in Jabal Saraj, some alliance fighters had trouble operating their guns. When the regional commander, Gen. Bismallah Khan, ordered them to fire, most did. But one 70mm cannon on an armored car first had to be lifted into place. Vehicles stalled, belching thick fumes of exhaust. And the back-blow from a 106mm recoilless cannon covered General Khan and his entourage with a thick cloud of eye-squinting dust.

Episodes like this do not mean the troops are unprepared for battle, however, says Arkin. "The history of fighting in Afghanistan is man to man, slow-moving combat," he notes. "The fact they can't shoot artillery accurately, or their tanks can't do pirouettes, or they are not at NATO standard, does not necessarily mean they are not capable, or that the opposition is not credible. "We have to shift our terms," he says, when assessing the Afghan warrior, "and adjust our Western standards."

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