October 15, 2001	Monday	Rajab 27, 1422

WASHINGTON, Oct 14: The next phase of the war against Afghanistan will include more bombing, covert raids and large-scale helicopter attacks, the Washington Post said on Sunday, citing military experts.

The military strategy is designed in part to demonstrate that the US military is engaged on the ground in pursuit of terrorists, defence officials said while talking to the Post.

Over the next month, the US military will hammer the Taliban’s 55th Brigade, a seasoned assault force made up mainly of several thousand Arabs and other foreigners, sources said.

Destroying the unit is seen as crucial to crushing the Taliban and the network led by Osama bin Laden, the newspaper said.

The Post also quoted military experts as saying US troops soon would join forces with rebels already working to overthrow the Taliban, coordinating US air strikes and rebel ground attacks aimed at weakening the Afghan rulers.

ARMS FOR OPPOSITION: The administration of US President George W. Bush has agreed to supply Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance with military aid, a weekly news magazine said.

The US News and World Report said in a press release that its Monday edition would reveal top White House national security aide Zalmy Khalilzad had agreed to the move in a meeting with Alliance spokesman Haron Amin.

“Amin has provided Washington with a wish list of weapons, including helicopters, tanks, and rifles, he says, but the alliance fighters want Russian equipment, the kind of weaponry they have used for years,” the magazine said in a statement.

“According to people familiar with current plans, a deal has been struck in which the Russians will supply the weapons and Washington will arrange for Moscow to be paid,” the statement added.

The magazine quoted Amin as saying that Northern Alliance forces, camped on frontlines 40 kilometres north of Kabul, are eager to attack the capital but want US air cover.

In return, the alliance will provide help to US and British special forces in finding Osama

But analysts here say that despite the ferocity of US air strikes on the Taliban, Washington appears unwilling to help the Northern Alliance mount a drive on Kabul amid intense pressure from Pakistan.—AFP