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Emergency Declared in Afghanistan
By
Amer Abdel Latif, IOL Correspondent in Afghanistan
KANDAHAR, Oct 7 (IslamOnline) - An Afghan defense official confirmed that the Taliban have sent some 10,000 troops towards the border with Uzbekistan and will cross the border if Uzbekistan assists the U.S. in its strikes against Afghanistan, which began earlier today, as the Taliban declared a state of emergency in three cities attacked by the U.S. - Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad
The official said stinger missiles have been provided to Taliban forces in all the major cities and they have been ordered to hit any enemy plane that flies into Afghan airspace.
Some ambulances could be seen on the roads moving towards Kandahar's only general hospital. Doctors, however, have yet to report any casualties. All doctors in the city have been called in for emergency duty.
The commander-in-chief of Taliban foerces, Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani, is reported to be safe and in Jalalabad, commanding the forces in that area.
Jalalabad's military headquarters, where Haqqani's presence was thought to be, was also struck. However he was not there, a Taliban official told IslamOnline.
He also went on to state that bin Laden was also safe and that there have been no casualties so far.
As a second wave of bombardment on Kandahar and other regions in Afghanistan continues, Taliban forces are asking residents to remain inside as the major strikes are not targeting the main city, but rather, the outskirts.
Taliban forces have been striking back with anti-aircraft guns, but the aircraft flying above are at doing so at inaccessible heights.
This correspondent has been asked to remain inside a safe place. Thus far, telephone lines are still working but chances are high that they may be destroyed due to air strikes
From a "safe" post, one can see that people have not remained in their houses but there is not much panic due to strikes.
According to eyewitnesses, the residence of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, some six kilometers south of Kahandar, was also struck, but Omar was not in his compound and has survived the strikes.
"He is completely safe at a safe place," a Taliban official told IslamOnline.
The Taliban official also said that bin Laden is not present in any of the cities that have been attacked and that he too is safe in a secret hideout in Afghanistan.
The Afghan Education Minister said that the missiles dropped on the country were Tomahawk cruise missiles, at least one of which was dropped on Jalabad airport.
He also went on to say that the U.S. and its cronies have started a war against Islam and that "we are also ready to face them."
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