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Afghan militia blast cave complex of bin Laden fighters

Local Afghan militia using tanks and backed by U-S warplanes, have blasted mountain hideouts held by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda fighters in eastern Afghanistan.

At the same time, U-S forces have gone on the offensive against the ousted Taliban in their southern stronghold of Kandahar, where U-S officials say a wayward bomb has killed three U-S special forces troops.

Jill Colgan reports from the capital, Kabul:

"U-S central command says the 900 kilogram, so called smart bomb, was dropped north of the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. It not only killed and injured Americans, but caused the deaths of an unspecified number of anti-Taliban forces too. It's the worst casualty toll of any friendly fire on the coalition's part since it began its air strikes on Afghanistan in October. It's not clear whether the bomb's satellite guidance system failed, or whether it was given the wrong co-ordinates. U-S forces have been providing support for Afghan fighters trying to dislodge the Taliban from this, their remaining stronghold."

6/12/01 11:37:54 | ABC Radio Australia News

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