Russian special forces believed to have crossed Afghan border
War on terrorism: Strategy
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference."The Russian factor" has become increasingly important as the US and Britain begin their final preparations for war.
Russian special forces are believed to have crossed into Afghanistan from Tajikistan bases in "limited excursions".
Taliban and al-Qa'ida positions being pinpointed by US and British special forces are likely to be attacked using joint direct attack munition bombs, which are satellite-guided and able to differentiate between earth, concrete and rock. The bombs, many of which were moved from Britain to the Indian Ocean base of Diego Garcia at the weekend, can penetrate up to 25 feet of rock. One of the main targets could be a command centre at the Herati Heights, which the Taliban claim is impregnable.
The Taliban continued their defence preparations yesterday, with senior officials trying to recruit more soldiers from rural areas. US and British defence officials maintain that the pool is drying up. There are also reports of Taliban fighters defecting or deserting, and intelligence appears to show that the Taliban have abandoned whole tracts in the west, around the city of Herat near the Iranian border.
An aircraft carrying humanitarian aid, chartered by Britain's Department for International Development, was prevented from flying into Iran on Monday night. However, the load of 400 tents was expected to be able to depart yesterday.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments