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Taliban claims US plane shot down

The Taliban is claiming to have shot down a US aircraft.

The Pentagon is not aware of any damage to the 15 bombers and 25 strike aircraft involved in the first wave of attacks.

There is speculation the Taliban could be referring to knocking out a Tomahawk cruise missile.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the initial phase of military operations against Afghanistan is designed to knock out Taliban air defences and aircraft.

This would "create conditions for sustained anti-terrorist and humanitarian relief operations in Afghanistan".

The Taliban has called the Allied military strikes a "horrendous terrorist action".

Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef says the Afghan nation will rise against the aggressors.

The Afghan ambassador to Pakistan says the Taliban had chosen talks to get over the impasse over Osama bin Laden, but the US had chosen the military option.

Speaking at a brief press conference, Mullah Zaeef said: "America has chosen the military approach. This will unify our nation against the aggressors.

"The Afghans will rise against the new colonialists. We condemn this horrendous terrorist action."

Story filed: 20:53 Sunday 7th October 2001

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2001

Answers

The commentator said that if a plane had been shot down we wouldn't be told about it yet, so let's hope the statement is accurate.

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2001

07 Oct 2001 21:01

Pentagon declines formal comment on shootdown claim

WASHINGTON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department declined formal comment on Sunday on a claim by the ruling Taliban that they had downed an unidentified aircraft in southern Afghanistan during a first wave of U.S.-led attacks.

"We're not going to discuss ongoing operations," said a Pentagon spokesman, Air National Guard Lt. Col. Mike Milord. "We're not going to respond to each and every statement that the Taliban makes."

Another defense official who declined to be named said the Taliban claim was "just not true." Earlier, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a Pentagon briefing that the United States had no information that any U.S. aircraft had been damaged or shot down about three hours after the strike began.

About 15 land-based bombers and about 25 carrier-based strike aircraft were used in the initial strike, which involved firing about 50 Tomahawk missiles, Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

The Taliban downed an aircraft in the southern province of Farah, Deputy Defense Minister Mullah Noor Ali told Qatar's al-Jazeera television in a live interview. He gave no details.

((jim wolf, phone 202-898-8402, washington.equities.newsroom@reuters.com))

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2001