The U.S. Withdrew More Troops From Battlefield, Possibility for Yemen to become another Afghanistan

BAGRAM / WASHINGTON

The U.S. withdrew more troops from the battlefield against Al-Qaeda fighters Monday, a day after 400 soldiers were brought back.At least four MH-47 Chinook helicopters landed at Bagram air base, 50 miles north of the Afghan capital Kabul, and each offloaded around 40 troops in full battle gear.

"We are continuing to reposition our forces," said Major Bryan Hilferty, declining to confirm the exact number of troops that had returned. Smaller numbers of troops could be seen preparing their gear to go into the combat zone.
Witnesses returning from the combat zone have reported hardly any fighting in recent days, apart from the odd pot shot from Al-Qaeda remnants thought to be holed up in complex cave networks.

Another senior officer said the United States had destroyed many of the caves with precision bombing guided in by ground troops.

"I think it is safe to say we have struck in excess of 20 caves," said Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Bentley, who is a fire support coordinator.

"The level of intricacy involved in these complexes is amazing. Every one that we've struck, I can tell you we've at least neutralized or destroyed."

But it looks that the US troops suffered serious losses and actually failed the «Operation Anaconda» some Islamic sources said. Besides, military operations are being conducted not just near Gardez. Some news agencies like CNN does not report about them, but the combats are taking place. According to other agencies, Islam News, Daily Islam and others the Taliban sub-units have become more active in Kandahar, Khost, Logar and in Kabul itself.

Islamic sources referring to the Taliban commander Mullah Saifur Rahman Mansur reported about a multitude of American soldiers killed. He is talking about 180 Americans killed in Paktia and 40 killed in the vicinity of Pir Gulsaar. Islam News reported about 8 American commandos, a Major among them, killed in Logar.

Periodic clashes occur in Kandahar. Rumors about the large-scale oncoming advance of the Taliban are growing more intense. Local sources reported that so-called governor of Kandahar Gul-Agha left the city. He does it every time when the rumors about the advance of the Taliban start circulating. The rumors became more intense after the Americans relocated three battalions to Bagram under the pretext of strengthening their forces in Gardez!


Bush Urges Nations

Also today US president Bush marked six months since Sept. 11 by urging nations with militants linked to Al-Qaeda to help "remove the terrorist parasites" and warning that Yemen was in danger of becoming another Afghanistan.

"Every terrorist must be made to live as an international fugitive, with no place to settle or organize, no place to hide, no governments to hide behind and not even a safe place to sleep," Bush said.

Bush spoke on the White House South Lawn to mark six months since the Sept. 11 attacks. The event included about 1,300 people, including members of Congress, more than 100 ambassadors and about 300 family members who lost relatives in the attacks.

Discussing the post-Afghanistan phase of the war on terrorism, Bush said: "America encourages and expects governments everywhere to help remove the terrorist parasites that threaten their own countries and peace of the world."

He said the United States was actively assisting the governments of the Philippines, Georgia and Yemen to quell militants linked to Al-Qaeda and said Yemen in particular was vulnerable. "In Yemen, we are working to avert the possibility of another Afghanistan," he said.