'At 4am, we heard the first deafening explosions'

War on Terrorism: Front Line

Internal links

US steps up the bombing to clear way for Northern Alliance assault

'At 4am, we heard the first deafening explosions'

Musharraf has betrayed Islam, says bin Laden

Bombing jeopardises immunisation programme

Amnesty calls for commission on Afghan atrocities

A series of deafening explosions shook the ground and rattled the windows. At 4am we woke in fear, thinking Khojabahuddin, a Northern Alliance-held town, was under attack from the Taliban. But it was the sound of American bombs falling at the front line. Although we were 10 miles away, you felt each blast in your chest.

The bombing went on all morning. At the front line, behind the village of Dasht-i-Qala, Northern Alliance soldiers training on 30 battered Russian tanks paused to watch as two great columns of smoke rose from hills on the horizon.

Then a whole series of explosions started along the length of the horizon, clouds of smoke rising in slow motion as the Americans carpet-bombed Taliban positions on the front line for the first time.

Some off-duty soldiers playing volleyball with two posts and a string gave the spectacular explosions a glance and went on with the game, but one young Afghan civilian watched angrily. "Maybe they are killing the Taliban, but the Taliban are our people," he said. "The Taliban may be bad, but at least they are brave enough to fight against the Americans." He was speaking with passion now, all the reserved politeness of the Afghans stripped away.

"When the Russians came, all the Afghans united in a jihad [holy war] against them, and they were forced to retreat. Soon we will unite in a jihad against the Americans, and I know that I will live to see the Americans retreat from Afghanistan. I know it." There was a burning intensity in his eyes. "They are bombing our land," he said, brandishing a handful of dirt as behind him the clouds of black smoke drifted away.

"It does not matter who is in power on that part of the land," he said, pointing towards the Taliban front line. "This land is our mother. They are bombing our mother." He would not give his name.

This is the anger the Americans have to face in Afghanistan – the anger of a people who have remained unconquered for more than two millenniums, and who have already defeated and humiliated one superpower. The bombing is increasing support for the Taliban, and the Americans will not find themselves hailed as liberators by everyone here.

But this was the bombing which the Northern Alliance has been begging the Americans to carry out – not a token effort for the television cameras, but bombing in earnest, designed to kill and maim. One Northern Alliance commander said the bombs were bigger than anything he had seen the Russians unleash on Afghanistan. "We're very pleased," he said. "They are all hitting the targets."

One bomb fell inside Northern Alliance territory, however, near the village of Qurugh, scattering twisted pieces of metal and circuitry across the ground. It only narrowly avoided killing Northern Alliance troops.