Huge plumes from B52 raids over Bagram area

Описание: (2 Nov 2001)

1. B-52 flying overhead
2. Wide shot road with jeep driving road with clouds of smoke rising in distance
3. Mid shot jeep driving along road
4. Mid shot cloud of smoke rising from ground
5. Two shots Afghan men watching
6. Wide shot smoke plumes rising from ground
7. B-52 bomber flying overhead and doing loop
8. Two shots close up smoke plumes rising from ground
9. Various men watching from roof of house
10. Smoke starting to rise from ground
11. Two shots shot smoke rising from ground

STORYLINE:

Heavy B-52 bombers pounded the area north of Kabul on Friday in an attempt to weaken the Taliban's position around the Afghan capital.

Several plumes of smoke were clearly seen rising over the Shomali Plain about 50 kilometres (30 miles) outside Kabul as the bombs hit.

Opposition forces said the bombing appeared directed by American forces on the ground.

Opposition forces and villagers on the opposition-held side of the front said at least 60 bombs fell.

Taliban artillery gunners fired anti-aircraft artillery in return.

They also trained some of their guns on opposition forces across the front line, drawing return fire.

A single bomb was also reported to have hit Kabul for the first time in four days.

Other strikes seemed to be cluster bombs, exploding in split-second booms that could be heard 15 kilometres (nine miles) away at opposition-held Jabal Saraj.

US jets had returned to attacks at the capital overnight for the first time since Sunday, striking the outskirts to the north.

For the past 11 days, US air attacks have shifted away from high-profile urban targets in favour of Taliban front line positions north of Kabul and near Mazar-e-Sharif and Taloqan.

The bombardment came as US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the United States is working to land hundreds more clandestine warriors in Afghanistan to intensify pressure on the Taliban.

Opposition fighters known as the Northern Alliance have been complaining for weeks that the American assaults are insufficient.

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