Week two of the USA's strikes on Afghanistan have highlighted the nature of asymmetric warfare. While the USA has bombed Afghanistan with high-tech weapons, high profile media organisations in the USA have received packages - not necessarily sent by the al Qaeda network - laced with the low-tech biological warfare agent anthrax.
Air strikes in week two were much the same as earlier operations, striking air defence sites, airfields, Taliban command and control facilities, field forces, arms dumps and suspected terrorist training camps.
As with earlier strikes, a combination of USAF strategic bombers, US Naircraft carrier-based tactical aircraft and ship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles were used. For the first time land-based tactical aircraft, Boeing F-15Es, took part in the operations. The UK remained the only other country participating in the operations, supplying in-flight refuelling tankers and surveillance aircraft.
Last week's operations were not entirely successful, with a Red Cross warehouse at Kabul being mistakenly hit, while the Taliban claimed that a host of other civilian targets had been damaged.
Week two also marked the debut over Afghanistan of the AC-130H/USpectre, a gunship based on the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules.
Source: Flight International
