US planes launched fresh raids on the Afghan capital Kabul in the early hours of Thursday morning (local time), dropping many bombs, some of which fell close to the city center, reports reaching Tashkent said on October 11.
A huge blaze raged near Kabul airport early on Thursday after a fresh US-led raid on the Afghan capital by warplanes and missiles, witnesses said. "This is not like before. The bombing is almost constant now and much, much closer," said a resident in the north of the city.
The aerial strikes had begun Wednesday evening, when several waves of fighter jets flew over Kabul and witnesses reported 18 loud explosions.
Moreover, witnesses said that the latest raids, which started shortly after dark on Wednesday, were the heaviest assault since U. S.-led forces launched their attacks against the bases of terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden and his Taliban protectors on Sunday.
At least 76 people have been killed and over 100 injured across the country in the raids so far, according to the Afghan Islamic Press agency and official.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that US-led forces on Wednesday blitzed Kabul and Kandahar with the heaviest bombing since Washington launched its campaign to bring Afghanistan's Taliban regime to its knees.
A fourth night of airstrikes against targets across the country got underway with a huge onslaught on the capital Kabul, where residents reported mutliple waves of jet fighter attacks and at least 30 large explosions in or around the city.
"This is not like before. The bombing is almost constant now and much, much closer," said a resident in the north of the city. "The planes just keep coming."
The Taliban's southern stronghold of Kandahar also came under heavy attack with targets around the city being pounded.
"It's really scary. I've heard four or five very loud bombs and they seem very close. Everything is shaking but I have nowhere to hide," said a man living some 30 kilometres (19 miles) outside the city centre.
The fresh onslaught followed a series of daytime raids on Kandahar and flyovers of Kabul which US officials said had been designed to locate hidden targets.
( Xinhua News Agency 10/11/2001)
