| "The Northern Alliance is on the march in the north toward Mazar-i- Sharif, and I think they're gathering their strength to at least invest Kabul, or start moving on Kabul more aggressively," Secretary Powell said. As a retired general, he used the word "invest" in its military sense, meaning to surround and lay siege to an objective. The bombing raids and Secretary Powell's virtual invitation to the rebels to surround Kabul suggest a growing sense of urgency in Washington about the military operation. |