Kandahar under siege

The US is warning that troops may face new risks

US aircraft have continued to pound the Taleban's last stronghold, the southern city of Kandahar, in some of the fiercest bombing of the war so far.

He (Omar) wants to fight to the last drop of his blood

Former governor Gul Agha's spokesman

Anti-Taleban forces are also closing in on the city, raising the spectre of bloody street battles with thousands of Taleban troops ordered by their spiritual leader Mullah Mohammad Omar to fight to the death.

Several thousand Pashtun fighters led by the former regional governor, Gul Agha Sheerzai, are massed close to the Taleban-held airport south of Kandahar.

Gul Agha told the BBC he was negotiating with senior Taleban commanders in an effort to persuade them to surrender.

"Even the Taleban who are still in Kandahar city do not want to fight and are in favour of peace and national unity," he said.

The US Marines are ready to provide support to anti-Taleban forces

Many residents, including Taleban officials, have already fled.

But Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar has told his fighters that there is no question of surrender, and no need for negotiations.

Gul Agha's spokesman said that Mullah Omar's determination to fight could cause problems for anti-Taleban forces in any attack on Kandahar.

"He is definitely in there, he wants to fight to the last drop of his blood," said Khalid Pashtoon.

Click here for map of the Kandahar area

About 1,000 US Marines are now in place at a desert airfield near the city, but there are no signs of a preparation for an assault.

Rumsfeld: the dangers are increasing

Speaking in Washington, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the campaign had entered an even more dangerous phase.

"Let there be no doubt there will be further casualties in this campaign," he said.

"We may have troops captured or killed. But it will not deter us for a day or for a moment from our objectives," he added.

As well as Kandahar, the key border town of Spin Boldak remains in Taleban hands.

Anti-Taleban forces say they have been holding talks with the Taleban about handing over control of Spin Boldak, but there has been no sign of any progress.

Search for Bin Laden

US Vice President Dick Cheney has said that the hunt for Osama Bin Laden is focusing on the Tora Bora caves in the east of the country.

"We've narrowed the amount of space inside Afghanistan that he feels safe in," said Mr Cheney.

Bin Laden is believed to have built a fortress complex 350 metres (1,150 feet) beneath the mountains, guarded by hundreds of fighters ready to fight to the death.

"I think he's probably in that general area," said Mr Cheney.

The Tora Bora caves have been repeatedly bombed since the US military campaign began seven weeks ago.

A US spokesman has confirmed reports that Northern Alliance forces have detained Ahmed Omar Abdel-Rahman, son of Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the Egyptian cleric jailed in the US for plotting to blow up New York City landmarks.

The US believes Ahmed Omar Abdel-Rahman is a recruiter for the al-Qaeda network.

The spokesman said that he would soon be handed over to coalition forces in Afghanistan.

---

Click here to return