Rebels insist final offensive near: Alliance claims 'The Dog', a feared Taliban leader, was killed by U.S. airstrike

Rebels insist final offensive near: Alliance claims 'The Dog', a feared Taliban leader, was killed by U.S. airstrike
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, November 9, 2001
Page: A3
Section: News
Byline: Levon Sevunts
Dateline: DASHTEQALA, Afghanistan
Source: The Ottawa Citizen

DASHTEQALA, Afghanistan - One of the Taliban's most infamous commanders was killed and three others were captured, a top commander of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance said yesterday.

Gen. Mamur Hassan said Commander Gargaray, one of the most ferocious and ruthless Taliban commanders, was killed as a result of the U.S. bombing near Mazar-e-Sharif.

"He was one of the most feared and despised Taliban commanders," Gen. Hassan said. "We were worried when we learned about his appointment to the Mazar-e-Sharif front. We called him 'The Dog' but now he's taken care of."

Speaking with a half dozen reporters who found refuge in his compound in Dashteqala, northern Afghanistan, Gen. Hassan gave an impromptu breakfast press conference.

The killing of Commander Gargaray and the capture of the three other top Taliban commanders by the forces of Uzbek warlord Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum represent a significant achievement for the anti-Taliban coalition, Gen. Hassan said.

Gen. Hassan also said he was pleased with the growing intensity of the U.S. bombing campaign.

"The bombing, however, is less effective than we wished because the Taliban hide in populated areas," Gen. Hassan said.

He said there remain certain disagreements between the Northern Alliance and the U.S. on how to fight the Taliban.

"Gen. Muhammad Fahim (defence minister of the United Islamic Front, a political arm of the Northern Alliance) and Americans have been meeting to consult with each other," Gen. Hassan said. "But in my opinion the Americans shouldn't have started the war without consulting with us.

"At the beginning they didn't help us. They didn't even look at our military plans. But now the United States and the UIF are sitting together to work out our differences."

Gen. Hassan said the U.S. had started supplying Northern Alliance troops with small amounts of ammunition.

"We haven't seen any American help in this area," Gen. Hassan said. "But I spoke with Gen. Dostum last night and he told me that he received weapons and ammunition airdrops.

"He told me that the Americans dropped 50 AK-47 assault rifles, 20 boxes of rocket-propelled grenades, 50 boxes of ammunition for PK machine-guns and 100 boxes of AK-47 ammunition."

Gen. Hassan said, however, that was like a drop in a bucket for Gen. Dostum's 10,000 soldiers. Gen. Hassan said he needs at least 2,000 rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) for his own troops to fight the Taliban.

"We know where the Taliban are hiding, but you can't use large bombs for the risk of killing innocent people," Gen. Hassan said. "You need to use smaller weapons like RPGs."

"I have 100 grenade launchers. During one day of fighting each might fire 20 grenades. You do the math."

Gen. Hassan said Gen. Dostum has 18 American and British experts distributed between different commanders.

"Their main job is to direct airstrikes and to advise Gen. Dostum and his commanders," Gen. Hassan said.

He would not say how many U.S. and British troops were in the area under his command, although he confirmed they were present.

"Less than 20, maybe 10," he said smiling coyly. Gen. Hassan said that his forces were getting ready for an offensive but that it couldn't start before Defence Minister Fahim returns from Panjsher, where he is meeting top commanders.

"He should be here, when the offensive starts," Gen. Hassan said.

U.S. bombers made one run in the morning yesterday and dropped at least two heavy bombs on Taliban positions.

The Montreal Gazette

It was Mr. Fahim's deputy, Gen. Attiqola Bareollay, who was scouting the front lines yesterday. Flanked by a half a dozen officers, he made a surprise visit to the positions at Puze Pulekhomry.

Although these front lines near Dashteqala were quiet for the most part yesterday, Mr. Bareollay's visit was unusual. He was last seen on the hill there with 10 U.S. or British soldiers who called in the first airstrikes in this area almost two weeks ago.

U.S. bombers made one run in the morning yesterday and dropped at least two heavy bombs on Taliban positions at the Kala Kata hill.

Unlike Wednesday, when anti-Taliban soldiers lobbed 22 mortars on Taliban positions on Kala Kata and were shelled back by the Taliban gunners, there was no shelling yesterday.

The Northern Alliance soldiers only tested a rusting ZK-1 heavy machine gun, which was in a repair shop for 20 days.

It took nine soldiers about 20 minutes to mount the gun. The trigger wasn't working, so a soldier hit it with an empty shell casing, using it like a hammer to fire the gun.

The test fire drew some reluctant return fire from the Taliban positions in the valley bellow but the Northern Alliance soldiers didn't even bother to get into their trenches.

Two weeks ago, before the U.S. bombing, they would have been outgunned and under a barrage of return fire, they said.

The firepower of the Northern Alliance troops was expected to grow significantly today. In a sign of an imminent offensive, they said they were expecting to receive tanks and armoured personnel carriers, once an unseen luxury.