Russia supplies Afghan opposition

Weapons are ferried across the river Piandzh by night

By BBC News Online's Stephen Mulvey

Russia's arms supplies to Afghanistan's anti-Taleban Northern Alliance are ferried across the Piandzh river from Tajikistan under cover of darkness.

The primitive chain-ferry at Farkhor, driven by an Iranian tractor, is within range of Taleban gunners, according to a Russian television crew who filmed it earlier this month, which is why it no longer works during the day.

For an army that still relies on cavalry charges, some of the more sophisticated weaponry promised by the Russians may take some getting used to

The ferry's nightly loads include humanitarian as well as military supplies.

The latter are mainly Soviet-era weapons, many of them no longer in production, which the Afghan fighters prefer for their simplicity and reliability in conditions of high humidity .

Click here for map of the river

For an army that still relies on cavalry charges, and is short of good footwear, ammunition and rifles, some of the more sophisticated weaponry promised by the Russians may take some getting used to.

Long list

The list includes tanks, armoured personnel carriers, helicopters, howitzers, mortars, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns and multiple rocket launchers, according to the Russian media.

Tanks are among the military vehicles being promised

In addition Moscow has promised grenade launchers, automatic rifles and snipers' rifles, optical instruments, mine-clearance systems, shortwave radios and spare parts.

The BBC's Kate Clark saw lorry loads of Russian rockets, mortar shells, and ammunition near Feyzabad heading south into the Panjshir valley two days after the American air bombardment began.

The total cost of the Russian supplies is expected to reach $40m, though many items on the list are described as obsolete, and are being supplied from Defence Ministry stockpiles, rather than direct from military plants.

According to some reports it may currently be impossible to load heavier items on to the chain ferry because of low water levels.

Russia's estimated supplies

50 tanks

80 infantry fighting vehicles

40 anti-aircraft guns

10 multiple-launch rocket systems

200 grenade launchers

15 anti-tank, howizter and mortar batteries

Automatic guns and snipers' rifles

Source: Russian Public TV

However, it is claimed that other pontoon bridges have been built, and they may already be in operation.

There is an alternative crossing of the river Piandzh - which widens, as it travels west, into the Amu Darya or Oxus - at the Uzbek city of Termez.

According to Russian sources, President Vladimir Putin has already reached agreement with his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, to use this bridge, but it leads before long to Taleban-held territory.

Only when, or if, the Northern Alliance takes the city of Mazar-e-Sharif will this route become an option.

The Northern Alliance already has some ancient armoured vehicles and tanks that were seized from Soviet forces in the 1980s, when Moscow and the mujahideen were on opposite sides.

According to Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer, Russia has been secretly arming the ante-Taleban fighters, since 1996 using them to fight a proxy war with the authorities in Kabul.

He alleges that:

• Parts of the Russian 201st division, based in Tajikistan, have already crossed into Afghanistan and are directly involved in combat
• Unmarked Russian jets have attacked Taleban targets
• Russian advisers are in Afghanistan helping to train Northern Alliance fighters to use the newly supplied equipment

The Russian media is also full of reports that 1,500 extra soldiers have been airlifted into Tajikistan to join the existing ranks of the 201st division, estimated at between 6,000 and 10,000-strong.

Russian forces in the vicinity also include between 11,000 and 20,000 border guards.

Uzbek complaint

The arms ferried across the Piandzh go to the ethnic Tajik forces led by Mohammed Fahim, whose forces also control the Panjshir valley.

The leading ethnic Uzbek commander, General Dostum, has complained that so far he has received nothing from the Russians, while complaining of shortages of rifles and ammunition.

Dostum has, however, been promised military aid by Turkey, a country with which he has a long association.

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