Posted on 09/12/2001 7:11:45 AM PDT by HAL9000
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 12 (UPI) - Although denying any involvement in the deadly attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers Wednesday braced for possible U.S. retaliation.Several Taliban officials, interviewed by United Press International, said they had scattered their troops in the mountains, away from major cities. They also hid their few remaining planes and mounted aircraft guns on roofs in Kabul and Kandahar cities.
"The United States has no reason to attack Afghanistan but we are taking no chances," said a Taliban official.
The Taliban's spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, had earlier denied reports that terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden was behind the attacks.
"The Taliban or Osama bin Laden have nothing to do with it," said Omar, mentioning the Saudi dissident for the first time in an official message since 1996 when bin Laden came to Afghanistan.
Although there was no direct comment from bin Laden himself, a Pakistani newspaper -- Awsaf -- carried a report from its stringer in Kandahar saying that the fugitive appeared pleased when he heard the news.
"He strongly denied his involvement but was obviously pleased to receive the news," the report said.
Officials at Taliban headquarters in Kandahar said they fear stories like this could provoke the United States into launching an attack on Taliban targets.
They said the Americans might not wait for confirmation and punish them to "please the media and the American public," said one Taliban official.
"This was how they reacted after the embassy bombing in 1998," the official said, in reference to the bombing of two U.S. embassies in East Africa that killed more than 220 people.
"They bombed several places inside Afghanistan although, despite our denials," the spokesman said, adding, "We fear the Americans will repeat themselves."
Hours after the tragic incidents in the United States, the anti-Taliban United Front sent its planes to Kabul, firing rockets at an arms depot near Kabul's airport.
They withdrew after facing a barrage of anti-aircraft shells from the ground.
Meanwhile, other newspapers in Pakistan carried reports about possible retaliatory actions from the United States. They predicted that this time the Americans might want to launch a combined air-and-ground attack to ensure they succeed in eliminating the targets.
The U.S. cruise missiles, fired after the 1998 bombings, failed to cause any serious damage to bin Laden or his Al-Qaida group.
The reports predicted that instead of sending their own troops, the Americans might urge Pakistan to punish the Taliban, this placing the country in a difficult situation.
Pakistan is one of the only three countries -- besides Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- that recognizes the Taliban regime.
Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
I agree. A couple of tomahawk missiles won't do it. If the US hits them, they will know they were hit.
Yes, and OJ declared that he was "Absolutely 100% not guilty."
The Taliban should get a few "bonus bombs," just for the utter stupidity and insulting nature of that last statement.
The difference between then and now is that now we have a president who makes decisions based on our national interests, whereas then we had a president whose only interest was keeping his girlfriend's grand jury testimony off the front page.
I like the strategy. GIVE Afghanistan to Pakistan, if Pakistan assists us in the demise of the Taliban government and the capture of Bin Laden.
They can annex it or rule it as a protectorate. In either case it would be additional territory and additional wealth for the Pakistani government.
And the good thing is.....they are Muslim and will appeal to moderate Islam within Afghanistan which is certainly tired of the inept rule of the old men.
Because America is not Israel. Our military is not what it used to be. We need time to plan and time to move forces, if we can decide what foreign country we can pull them out of, and then maybe we can attack them.
What a comforting thought. We were unprepared yesterday morning. Today we have AWACs, F16s and aircraft carriers patroling our skies. Today we have satellites tracking every ant from Beijing to Morocco. And today we have wrath wating to explode in extreme violence.
That's Klintonian thinking.
The only thing to do is an all out attack on the states that harbour and support terrorists, send their steaming ashes back to allah. The question is whether this country has the 'nads to carry it out...
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