U.S. Begins Ground Campaign
Oct. 20, 2001 -- U.S. special forces have carried out their first ground assault of the military campaign, striking at a military complex used by Taliban leaders in southern Afghanistan.
Ferried in by a variety of aircraft, the special forces unit of more than 100 soldiers, including Army Rangers, completed a six-hour overnight mission. The troops first attacked an airfield, then assaulted what the U.S. Defense Department decribed as a military "command control center" near the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.
"They attacked and destroyed targets associated with terrorists and Taliban control," said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a Pentagon briefing today.
Myers also presented a Defense Department video clip showing U.S. forces destroying some Taliban weapons — as well as footage of troops parachuting in to Afghanistan and on the ground at the Taliban compound.
"We met resistance at both objectives," added Myers. "There were casualties on the other side." He did not provide an estimate on the number of Taliban casualties, but said two U.S. soldiers were injured when landing by parachute in Afghanistan.
According to Myers, the United States is now "re-positioning" troops for future raids.
Today, the United States has also resumed bombing raids in and around Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad, with the Associated Press reporting a series of eight significant explosions rattling Kabul.
Two U.S. Deaths in Separate Helicopter Crash
Additionally, the Defense Department said two U.S. military personnel died in a Blackhawk helicopter crash in Pakistan.
While not participating in the raid on Afghan soil, the helicopter had been standing by to help with search-and-rescue operations for the mission. The craft crashed while trying to land back at its base. Pentagon officials said three other personnel were also injured.
"The thing that's important for me to tell the American people is that these soldiers will not have died in vain," President Bush told reporters in Shanghai today. "This is a just cause."
Bush also said Americans should expect "moments of sacrifice."
At the Pentagon briefing, Myers dismissed claims that the Taliban shot down the helicopter as "absolutely false."
Bush Returning from Summit on Sunday
President Bush, in Shanghai for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, reiterated his call for global support for the anti-terrorism campaign in a speech to business leaders today.
"Our enemies are murderers with global reach," Bush said. "They seek weapons to kill on a global scale. Every nation now must oppose this enemy, or be in turn its target."
With a new phase of the military operation commencing, Bush will leave the summit in China on Sunday night, 12 hours earlier than planned. The president met his Chinese counterpart, Jiang Zemin, for the first time on Friday, and both leaders emerged from the three hours of discussions speaking warmly of improved relations between the two nations.
While the summit was supposed to be dedicated to economic issues, the anti-terrorism campaign has emerged as a central topic of discussion. Bush is also meeting leaders of several nations to build support for the U.S.-led coalition, receiving a strong pledge of support from Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi today.
The president also conferred with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who cautioned Bush about the possible backlash that could be created in largely Muslim countries if the U.S. campaign causes a large number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan.
"We had a very good visit," Bush said afterwards. "He is concerned about the death of innocent people in Afghanistan, and I assured him I am too."
On Sunday, Bush will meet with Russian President Vladmir Putin, whose support for the anti-terrorism efforts is crucial to the United States.
Bin Laden Associate Reported Dead
The Qatar-based television station Al Jazeera has reported that an asociate of bin Laden, Abu Bassir El-Mesri, has died in a hospital in Jalalabad. According to Al Jazeera, the death is from injuries inflicted by American bombing.
Myers said today that no Taliban leaders were present at the targets struck by the U.S. ground attack.
"We did not expect to find significant Taliban leadership at these locations," said Myers. "We, of course, were hoping we would, but we did not expect it, and we did not find senior Taliban or Al Qaeda leadership."
The United States already had a small number of elite troops, part of a CIA operation, on the ground in Afghanistan, working with opposition groups fighting the country's ruling Taliban regime. And some U.S. reconnaissance teams may have been moving in and out of the country since the military campaign began on Oct. 7.
Kabul and Kandahar are in southern Afghanistan, the region where terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding. The United States holds bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on America.
Word of U.S. personnel in Afghanistan drew a defiant response Friday from the Taliban's ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef. "We are ready for them," he said before the ground assault.
Refugees Leaving Kandahar
In other developments:
An estimated 5,000 refugees headed to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border today, in the biggest one-day influx of people since the U.S.-led military campaign began. U.N. officials say a large portion are coming from the area around Kandahar.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, also in China for the APEC meeting in Shanghai, met Friday with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda to discuss concerns in the Southeast Asian nation about civilian casualties. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country.
New York City officials have updated the number of victims from the attacks on the World Trade Center. The new numbers are: 4,515 reported missing and 458 bodies recovered, 408 of which have been identified.