U.S. Steps Up Attacks; Rumsfeld Voices Confidence

Oct. 28 -- U.S. warplanes attacked Taliban positions near the Tajikistan border in an effort to take out artillery used to disrupt a Northern Alliance supply route.

The planes struck Sunday morning and evening as the air strikes on Afghanistan entered a fourth week. They reportedly used coordinates supplied by local Northern Alliance forces, dropping about a dozen bombs to protect the supply route, which is basically a ferry that runs across the river separating Afghanistan from Tajikistan.

The Northern Alliance says the route is one of its main sources of foreign military and other assistance.

These are believed to be the first U.S. air strikes in the region. The troops that were attacked are believed to be hundreds of Arab and Uzbek fighters.

Strikes Proceeding Well; Coalition Stable

U.S. military strikes in Afghanistan are proceeding well and the international anti-terror coalition remains stable, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Sunday.

"It's going very much the way we expected with we began," he said on ABCNEWS' This Week, as government officials dampen expectations for a quick victory, while still voicing confidence in the military operations.

"The progress has been measurable," he said. "We feel the air campaign has been effective."

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The defense chief said that allied forces were getting better targeting information in recent days to help identify new bombing targets.

Rumsfeld moved to reassure the public that the military effort could overcome recent apparent setbacks in its campaign to topple Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and bring accused terror mastermind Osama bin Laden to justice.

He emphasized, however, that the war would not likely be over soon, as early hopes fade that airstrikes would quickly cripple the Taliban and cause mass defections.

Key opposition Afghan leader — Abdul Haq — was captured and killed, and there have been new reports of errant U.S. bombs killing civilians.

More Heavy Bombing

U.S. warplanes continued to pound the Afghan capital of Kabul and other cities amid more reports of civilian casualties. Witnesses say at least 13 people were killed in Kabul.