Russian troops gathering near Kabul: Moscow Weekly Tue Oct 09 2001 13:03:27 ET

MOSCOW, Oct 09, 2001 -- The Russian military has secretly positioned troops on the outskirts of Kabul for an assault on the Afghan capital together with the opposition Northern Alliance forces, the Russian weekly Moscow News said Tuesday.

The weekly said Russian troops are operating tanks that had been given to the Northern Alliance as part of Moscow's military aid and are awaiting orders for an offensive against Kabul.

The maneuver is aimed at beating American forces in entering Kabul not only for the sake of Russian honor, but also to secure a role for Russia in shaping the post-Taliban order in Afghanistan, the weekly said.

In addition to supplying vast amounts of weaponry to the forces fighting the Taliban government, Moscow has also sent "military experts, technicians and military advisers," the Moscow News report said.

A precedent to Russia taking this type of action was seen in June 1999 during the Yugoslavia war when Russian forces surprised the NATO-led international force and occupied the airport at the Kosovo capital.

END

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Answers

No question for me that Russia would like to move in early. But what about the Chinese that are also reported to be on their way, to fight on behalf of the Taliban?

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001