Taleban: Early attacks 'not serious'

Taleban spokesmen in Pakistan this evening

		By Daniel Lak BBC News Online's correspondent on the Pakistan-Afghan border

Contacts with Kandahar and from officials of the Taleban regime here in Quetta indicate limited damage from the early wave of attacks on Afghanistan.

An official with the Taleban embassy here said as far as he was aware, no major targets had been hit.

He said reports that a fire had broken out at the airport and electrical power was cut the city were not, in his words, "serious developments".

Calm

Another report from the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan said as many as 30 explosions were heard in the area of Kandahar airport, about 20km (12 miles) away from the city.

An official in Kandahar said the mood was calm so far, but that could not be confirmed with someone who was not a member of the Taleban regime.

The difficulty is that the missiles and, possibly, bombs began falling on Kandahar well after dark local time and the obvious confusion that sets in after such a night attack makes accurate reports difficult to obtain.

Exodus fear

So-called impartial voices are also those at the end of a 'phone line, and almost all telephones in Kandahar belong to government offices.

Aid agencies with offices in Kandahar are waiting until morning to hear from local staff on radio, or to consult arriving travellers.

Fears of another refugee exodus in this area and along the entire border with Pakistan are growing.