And resupply efforts raking place during the winter of 2001 as well. No reason to think that additional efforts aren't now taking place.
The Guardian (London) - October 23, 2001
Russia in multi-million arms deal with Northern Alliance:
Weapons Moscow gives major backing to opposition forces
Old Soviet tanks, helicopters and kalashnikovs are being supplied in a multi-million dollar arms deal between the Russia and the Northern Alliance.
Russia has long been a secret ally of the Northern Alliance, supplying guns and supplies to the ousted Afghan government since 1996, but the terror attacks in the US has pushed Russia's support out into the open.
Russia's defence minister, Sergei Ivanov, has spelled out exactly what the Northern Alliance wants - familiar, old Soviet hardware that the Northern Alliance forces have used for years, first in the 1980s against the Soviet forces they had captured the arms from and then in the 1990s in the series of civil wars.
The arms deal is estimated to be worth between Dollars 40-Dollars 70m.
"Russia was supplying all the time," said a defence analyst, Pavel Felgenhauer. "But this is a major extra investment for the Northern Alliance to make a major offensive and sweep the Taliban out of northern Afghanistan." Old Soviet T-55 tanks, military helicopters, kalashnikovs, Igla and Shilka mobile anti-aircraft missile and armoured fighting missiles are reported to have been among the first deliveries to Afghanistan.
***Forty tanks and twelve military helicopters are still to be delivered, according to the Associated Press.
"Afghans who have been fighting for the 20 years, including Northern Alliance fighters, know the old military equipment better than many servicemen in the Russian armed forces," said Mr Ivanov earlier this month.
"The Northern Alliance needs simple and very reliable, tested equipment: T-55 tanks, ammunition and submachine guns", he added.
"If they get other submachine guns, they (Northern Alliance fighters) throw them away with indignation and demand only Kalashnikovs," the minister said.
The Northern Alliance, Ivanov said, needs "ordinary artillery guns with shells and ordinary battle infantry vehicles and armoured personnel carriers".
"These are quite ordinary, simple but reliable weapons, withstanding fluctuations of temperature and humidity," he added.
As well as military equipment and supplies some Russian defence experts have claimed that Russia has supplied technical specialists.
Mr Felgenhauer, citing mili tary sources, said that a number of Russian technical specialists are already in northern Afghanistan helping the rebels. Other experts, and Mr Ivanov, have said the equipment is simple enough to be operated without technical assistance.
Russia is not keen on footing the bill for the expensive airlift operation. Mr Ivanov has asked the US for help and Andrei Belyaninov, the chief of Russia's chief defence exporter, Rosoboronexport, is said to have discussed the matter with the British defence minister, Geoff Hoon, when he was in Moscow earlier this month.
Supplies began to flow into Afghanistan at the end of September.
Ammunition and military hardware is being delivered to the Northern Alliance via pontoon bridges built by Russia's 201st division over the Pyandj river that divides Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Nezavismaya Gazeta reported.
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Upgraded T-55 tanks key to Afghan ground offensive By David C Isby
16 November 2001
Upgraded T-55 main battle tanks (MBTs), recently supplied by Russia to the anti-Taliban United Front (the so-called Northern Alliance) and manned by veteran crews from the forces of the late Ahmed Shah Massoud, are considered key to any successful ground offensive in Afghanistan this year.
In October, Russia announced that 40 upgraded T-55AM MBTs were to be supplied to the United Front. The decision to supply them had been made earlier this year and most, if not all, of the tanks are believed to have been in Afghan hands before 11 September.
The upgraded tanks are readily distinguished from the 1992-vintage T-55s - which make up the bulk of the Northern Alliance's tank force - by their T-80-style commander's windshield on the turret roof. Many Northern Alliance MBTs have been dug-in and used as artillery due to a shortage of fuel and logistic support in recent years.
The 40 T-55AM2s were supplied as part of a large-scale arms-transfer package valued at US$45 million. This also includes up to 80 BMP-1 infantry combat vehicles and several dozen BTR-60 series wheeled armoured personnel carriers.
