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| Afghanistan |
| Northern Alliance stalled, outgunned |
| 2001-10-27 |
But there is a growing question among military planners about whether the Northern Alliance, a collection of independent and often rival militia groups, is up to defeating the Taliban, even with U.S. air support. In northern Afghanistan, alliance leaders said they had gained considerable ground since the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan began Oct. 7. But they acknowledge that their progress has stalled and that they are outnumbered and outgunned. "We don't have ammunition; we have to buy arms and ammunition from the people who live around here. And as you know, there's a drought. We have food problems here," said Sayed Nasir Ahmed, an officer with Gen. Ismail Khan, who leads a small militia near the western city of Herat. "No humanitarian aid or military aid has reached us," Ahmed said by telephone. "We are surrounded by Taliban. We have to go to the villages to get some food for people. Even though the people are hungry, we have to ask them to share their food with us. If we don't get humanitarian aid, people will die. We want Americans to supply us -- the military and the people -- with food from the air, maybe using helicopters or air drops." |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |