Some Northern Alliance leaders are questioning the level of U.S. bombing and its target selection, and seem to be wondering aloud why Taliban troop concentrations opposite them on the road to Kabul have not been hit.

It seems like a fair question.

At the same time, I discern some wariness among U.S. officials about getting too closely aligned with the various factions opposing the Taliban, so perhaps the avoidance of targets reportedly clearly marked by the N. Alliance reflects this U.S. reluctance to pave the way for any or all of these resistance forces to advance at this time.

Perhaps, but I thought this was the idea, and that such an advance and eventual victory by a coalition of oppostion forces was a cornerstone of U.S. strategy in this conflict.

It could be then, that the U.S. is walking a delicate tightrope in this affair.

On the one hand, it wants local forces to overthrow the Taliban, but on the other, it doesn't want to appear to be favoring any single faction of the local forces, i.e. the Northern Alliance, in particular because the northerners are primarily Uzbek and other minorities, rather than the ethnically dominant Pashtun, whose homelands are more to the south.
th.

Perhaps, but from my perspective, the U.S. led bombing campaign to this point seems to be “same ol', same ol'” - gain air superiority by suppressing air defenses. That approach is all fine and well in a densely defended, target-rich environment, but Afghanistan has neither of those characteristics, and with any bombing campaign, there is the certainty of collateral damage, at the very least, and total alienation of those sorry folks on the ground, at the worst.

Without the tacit approval and support of a majority of Afghans, any U.S.-lead efforts are treading in very deep water, indeed. It seems to this observer that a bombing compaign against Afghanistan's air defensive assets is a questionable tactic since the returns are so miserly, and the potential so great to unite the country's silent majority, as well as the entire Islamic world, against the United States.

With its formidable Wild Weasel assests, surely the USAF and its NATO allies could operate with impunity over Afghanistan without first needing to neutralize the Taliban's very meager air defense assets, and in the bargain, hit the wrong targets and possibly turn the Afghanis against us.

I trust that U.S. strategy and tactics iin this effort have been well thought-out and will achieve our desired objectives, and of course I am completely behind President Bush in this War on Terrorism.

sp