Week Two October 14-20

The US believes it has achieved air supremacy over Afghanistan and begins using slow-moving AC-130 gunships in its attacks.

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Saturday 20 October

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Ground troops attack key Taleban targets

US troops clear an airfield near Kandahar

US Special Forces have attacked key sites including a command centre in southern Afghanistan. The Pentagon said US troops had met only slight resistance, and describe the mission as a success.

 The BBC's Daniel Boettcher reports

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Friday 19 October

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Special forces 'inside Afghanistan'

US special forces: said to be inside Afghanistan

Reports begin to emerge from Washington that American special forces have begun operating inside Afghanistan as airstrikes continue. The Taleban say their forces are "ready for battle".

 The BBC's Nick Bryant reports

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Wednesday 17 October

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Northern Alliance pushes towards Kabul

A Northern Alliance soldier loads a mortar

The United States uses low flying gunships against Taliban ground troops in attacks on their positions north of Kabul. It may help the Northern Alliance, who are close to the Afghan capital. US and British military sources say they have used two thousand bombs and missiles since strikes began.

 The BBC's Kim Barnes reports

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Tuesday 16 October

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Red Cross warehouse destroyed

A building destroyed by the US airstrikes

The Red Cross claims one of its warehouses has been destroyed by an American bomb. The number of daylight raids over Afghanistan are stepped up but fighters with the Northern Alliance continue to express frustration that the Taleban frontline remains relatively unscathed.

 The BBC's Ben Brown reports

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Monday 15 October

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Bombers hit key targets

US Navy personnel aboard the USS Enterprise in the Indian ocean

US planes begin a second week of attacks on military targets in Afghanistan, where the main telephone exchange in Kabul is reported to have been hit. Taleban sources say that 12 people were killed and 32 injured in the attacks.

 The BBC's Jonathan Charles reports

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Sunday 14 October

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Bush rejects Taleban offer

President Bush says US demands are not negotiable

The United States rejects a Taleban offer of talks on handing Osama Bin Laden over to a third country if the bombing stops. President Bush says his demand that Bin Laden is handed over to the US is not negotiable. The Taleban bring foreign journalists to see what they say are the remains of a village destroyed by US bombs with the loss of 200 lives.

 The BBC's James Robbins reports