Allies Turn Sights on Taliban Front Line

Excerpt from article describing U.S. efforts on broadening strike targets ...

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THE military campaign against Afghanistan entered a new phase yesterday with allied officials saying it was being redirected to attacking Taliban troops on the front line.

Strike on Taleban Fuel Dump

A British Official said: "Our effort is switching towards Taliban troops employed in the field - those facing the Northern Alliance."

US officials confirmed that Taliban positions north of Kabul on the Old Road-New Road front line were also coming under attack.

The allies previously have held off from attacking the positions for fear of allowing the Northern Alliance to take control of the capital.

But the alliance has now pledged to wait until a broad-based coalition government is put together before entering Kabul.

Tony Blair told Parliament that the allies were giving "help to the Northern Alliance in their efforts against the Taliban". Members of the SAS and its US equivalent, Delta Force, are on the ground working with the alliance.

Mullah Mohammad Omar, the Taliban leader, issued a defiant public response. He said: "We will succeed whether we live or die. Everyone has to die one day. We are not afraid of dying and we should die as Muslims.

"We have fought against the Russians and this is another jihad against infidels. People are in pain but God will grant them success."

The Pentagon said 100 aircraft, 90 US Navy F14 Tomcats and F18 Hornets plus 10 heavy bombers, were taking part in the raids each day, the highest number since the bombing began.

Mr Blair said the attacks had "significantly damaged" the Taliban's military capability. "It is important we continue this military action and make sure it is successful," he said. ...

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Source:

• News.telegraph.co.uk

U.S. Arms Unmanned Aircraft in Skies Above Afghanistan

Excerpt from article describing the use of the unmanned RQ-1 Predator as an extension of U.S. power, controlled from the U.S., and armed with two Hellfire missiles:

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The United States is for the first time flying armed, unmanned aircraft into combat and controlling them with operators in the United States thousands of miles from the battlefield in Afghanistan, Defense Department officials said yesterday.

The use of the armed RQ-1 Predators is a revolutionary step in the conduct of warfare. The slow-moving, propeller-driven aircraft have been flown by the Air Force for six years to gather intelligence, most recently in combat during the Kosovo war in 1999. But now the Air Force has outfitted them with Hellfire antitank missiles, powerful weapons usually carried on helicopters, the officials said.

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Source:

• Washington Post

U.S. to Taliban - You Are Condemned

Excerpt from article describing the use of U.S. radio broadcasts and leaflets in the campaign against Islamic extremist terror:

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The Pentagon is sending radio broadcasts into Afghanistan telling the Taliban they are "condemned," and the messages seem to suggest that U.S. troops will eventually be on the ground in that country.

... The Pentagon said the propaganda broadcasts began last weekend and originate from a flying radio station, a specially outfitted EC-130, known as "Commando Solo."

The broadcasts tout the deadly firepower of the U.S. military and tell the Taliban, "You have only one choice ... Surrender now."

... "Our forces are armed with state of the art military equipment. What are you using, obsolete and ineffective weaponry? Our helicopters will rain fire down upon your camps before you detect them on your radar. Our bombs are so accurate we can drop them right through your windows. Our infantry is trained for any climate and terrain on earth. United States soldiers fire with superior marksmanship and are armed with superior weapons," one radio script reads.

Here's a complete text of one broadcast:

"Attention Taliban! You are condemned. Did you know that? The instant the terrorists you support took over our planes, you sentenced yourselves to death. The Armed Forces of the United States are here to seek justice for our dead. Highly trained soldiers are coming to shut down once and for all Osama bin Laden's ring of terrorism, and the Taliban that supports them and their actions."

"Our forces are armed with state of the art military equipment. What are you using, obsolete and ineffective weaponry? Our helicopters will rain fire down upon your camps before you detect them on your radar. Our bombs are so accurate we can drop them right through your windows. Our infantry is trained for any climate and terrain on earth. United States soldiers fire with superior marksmanship and are armed with superior weapons."

"You have only one choice ... Surrender now and we will give you a second chance. We will let you live. If you surrender no harm will come to you. When you decide to surrender, approach United States forces with your hands in the air. Sling your weapon across your back muzzle towards the ground. Remove your magazine and expel any rounds. Doing this is your only chance of survival."

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Source:

• CNN

Chemists Discover Scientific Cause of 'Bitter Beer Face'

Excerpts from article describing the science undergirding the efforts to minimize chances for "skunky beer" (widely known to be the cause of the affliction referred to as "bitter beer face"):

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Many people think beer tastes bad all the time, while others, who enjoy the alcoholic malt beverage, believe it turns "skunky" only when it isn’t handled properly.

Now chemists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill say they have figured out precisely what goes wrong with beer to give it that offensive "light-struck" flavor.

"Historically, beer has been stored in brown or green bottles to protect hop-derived compounds from light in a process we call photo-degradation," said Dr. Malcolm D. Forbes, professor of chemistry.

"Hops help flavor beer, inhibit bacterial growth and are largely responsible for the stability of the foam in the head," Forbes said.

"Hops, however, are light-sensitive, and the three main compounds in them identified as being light-sensitive are called isohumulones.

When attacked by either visible or ultraviolet light, these break down to make reactive intermediates known as free radicals that lead to the offensive taste and skunky odor."

... "Understanding mechanisms behind changes in beer tastes is important because the world beer industry is hoping to save money by storing, shipping and selling beer in less expensive clear glass," Forbes said.

"Producers of Miller Genuine Draft, for example, already do that by adding a chemically modified hop compound to the beer. We have found evidence that Miller beer is still photochemically active, but it doesn’t make the same free radicals, and so those can’t lead to bad-tasting skunky thiols as quickly."

Corona beer also is sold in clear bottles, but manufacturers do not used a modified hop product, he said. Instead, they usually keep their bottles boxed to exclude light and encourage drinkers to add a slice of lime to improve the odor.

"Corona is marketed extremely cleverly," the chemist said. ...

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Source:

• Scientific Daily

Pop-up graphics and excerpts of news stories regarding the continued impacts of anthrax in the U.S.:

Anthrax Pop-up Graphics

Note - These individual graphics were extracted from a large master graphic at The Times War On Terror web site.

CBS News Employee in New York and New Jersey Postal Worker Diagnosed With Anthrax

Excerpts (from the Washington Post) ...

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A CBS News employee in New York and a New Jersey postal worker have been diagnosed with anthrax, bringing the nation's total to six this month, government officials said today.

At the same time, officials tried to reassure a nervous public, noting that thousands have tested negatively for anthrax exposure, and dozens are surviving their exposures with few if any symptoms.

The FBI announced a $1 million reward to root out those who send anthrax by mail.

The CBS employee, who works for anchor Dan Rather, contracted anthrax nearly three weeks ago, making CBS the third major news network touched by the disease, government and company officials said.

... "The American people can have confidence that their government is working around the clock to protect them," said Ridge, who left the Pennsylvania governorship to head the newly created office of homeland security.

He was joined by the attorney general, FBI director, postmaster general, surgeon general and other high-ranking officials.

They appeared eager to reassure Americans after yesterday's confusing mix of conjecture and misinformation that followed revelations that 31 Senate employees had tested positive for anthrax exposure.

Police Guard Capitol
During Anthrax Sweep

Authorities believe those exposures stemmed from a letter sent from Trenton, N.J., to Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.). ...

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Irradiation of Mail Could Render Mailed Anthrax Harmless

Excerpts (from ABC News [link inactive]) ...

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As fears build over the spread of anthrax through the postal system, debate is emerging over whether the bacteria can be killed before it causes any harm.

Suggestions on how to decontaminate mail range from microwaving to household irons. In a laboratory setting, bacteria and bacterial spores are routinely killed with bleach, or by exposure to extremely high heat in what is called an autoclave.

But many experts agree that there is very little, if anything, you can do to kill bacteria short of destroying your mail.

"Steam irons are not going to get you where you need to be," said Dr. John Clements of Tulane University in New Orleans.

Can Irradiation Kill Anthrax?

There is a technology that certain companies believe will kill anthrax — irradiation.

Titan Corp. suggests its irradiation technology, currently used to kill harmful bacteria in foods such as meats, eggs and fresh produce, could be used to kill anthrax.

The item in question is bombarded with electrons that kill bacteria.

When asked if use against anthrax was feasible, Clements said, "In theory, you could because radiation kills [anthrax] spores."

The company estimates that it would cost approximately one penny per letter to decontaminate mail.

It added that irradiation works on everything except electronics, which could be damaged by the process.

Another company, Aramsco, is offering a decontamination service using gamma rays.

It is sending out mail from clients to be irradiated by an anonymous company that normally uses the process on food.

"Anthrax is very easy to kill with irradiation," said Aramsco President Dave Naylor. ...

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World Divided Into Believers and Infidels?

Excepts from article in which mujahideen prisoners of the Northern Alliance are interviewed regarding their views against the U.S. and in favor of a god-centered Islamic world:

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... Obaidur Rahman, a cherub-faced foot soldier for Osama bin Laden and radical Islam ... here, in a remote prison in rebel-controlled northern Afghanistan, Rahman and other inmates provide clues.

For these militant Muslims the guilt or innocence of Americans and hundreds of other foreigners killed in the attacks is no issue.

In a world they view as a battleground between believers and infidels, there are no shades of complicity, only good versus evil. September 11 was a victory in a war, and cause for rejoicing.

"When I heard the news I was happy," Rahman said. "I thought, 'Muslims are becoming strong'," he said, his legs from the knees down wrapped in thick iron manacles.

And if his fellow mujahideen are responsible for mailing anthrax-treated letters to journalists and politicians in the United States?

"All the better."

... he attended an Islamic religious school. There, he was imbued with the fiery teachings of Abdul Majid Zandani ... who advocates a return to an austere, early brand of Islam and urged Rahman and other students to wage war against infidels for the survival of their faith.

First, however, they had to go to Afghanistan for military training.

Few exhortations were needed. While few non-Muslims know much about Afghanistan, Rahman and many other Muslim youths viewed it as a shining symbol of empowerment.

In the 1980s up to 25,000 Arab and other Muslim young men had answered the call of Osama bin Laden and other recruiters to converge on Afghanistan and help expel the occupying Soviet Army. With the aid of Pakistan, the United States and Saudi Arabia they succeeded brilliantly.

Ten years later Afghanistan beckoned another generation of Muslim youth - this time to help establish true Islamic states worldwide.

Students of the last great battle of the Cold War, the fresh recruits were keen to become shock troops for the new campaign.

"There was no question of becoming a farmer like my father," Rahman said. "My decision was to fight pagans."

With the financial help of local businessmen, Rahman said, he travelled first to Karachi in Pakistan then to a military training camp operated by bin Laden's al-Qaeda network ... After only three months he was captured. He was 17 years old.

Five years later his contempt for the US is unabated, his scorn rooted in what he says are evil US policies towards the Islamic world - its persecution of Iraq, its support of Israelis over Palestinians, and the presence of 5,000 US troops in Saudi Arabia, site of the Prophet Mohammed's birth and death.

His ambition remains unquenched: to wage holy war against infidels, free Islamic countries from the grip of US influence and help fundamentalist Muslims from the Philippines to Chechnya establish pure Islamic governments.

The source of his inspiration is simple, he said: "The Prophet Mohammed and the Koran tell us to wage jihad against pagan peoples." ...

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Source:

• Sydney Morning Herald [link inactive]

Well-Preserved Embryo Discovered In Dinosaur Egg

Excerpt from article describing a rare event. A dinosaur egg found 30 years ago, upon closer examination, turns out to contain a well-preserved dinosaur embryo:

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A North Carolina State University graduate student has discovered that a dinosaur egg unearthed more than 30 years ago in Alabama contains well-preserved and incredibly detailed remains of a nearly hatched dinosaur embryo.

... It is the first dinosaur egg with an embryo ever found in the eastern United States.

The embryo is thought to be that of a Lophorhothan, a duck-billed dinosaur known only to have lived in the area now covered by modern-day Alabama.

The embryo's leg bones are clearly visible, as is what appears to be fossilized yolk.

... The 83-million-year-old egg was originally discovered by three high school students in 1970, but scientists at the time were unable to accurately determine its contents.

A research paper published in 1978 could not conclude exactly what type of egg it is.

Lamb discovered that it contained an embryo after he borrowed it from Auburn University for a research project. ...

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Source:

• Science Daily