An Overview

ATTACKS ON TALIBAN TROOPS, BLACKOUTS IN KABUL AND THE MONEY TRAIL

United States warplanes trained their sights on new targets in Afghanistan.
At first, the focus of the bombing campaign was almost entirely on air
defenses, command centers and terrorist training camps. But now Taliban
troops in the field have been pounded, and apparently hard.

Officials in Washington said there had been "substantial" attacks on
garrisons, bivouac areas and the like, punishing strikes on ground troops
that some reports said were particularly fierce in and around Kabul, the
Afghan capital.

Having already claimed to basically own the Afghan skies, the Americans
looked to "condition the environment" -- Pentagon-speak for weakening both
the Taliban and Arab fighters enlisted by Osama bin Laden, so American and
British special forces may eventually be able to operate with some safety
inside Afghanistan.

It was as hard as ever, though, to get a full picture of the damage
inflicted by the bombers or the impact on ordinary Afghans. Taliban
officials said that since the air strikes began on Sunday, 76 people have
been killed and more than 100 wounded. But there was no way to confirm
those figures or to determine how many of the casualties were civilians.

Refugees' Tales

Some Afghans who fled Kabul and sought refuge in territory controlled by
anti-Taliban rebels gave a few clues to life in Kabul these days. They
estimated that nearly two-thirds of the population had fled, though where
to was not clear. Not surprisingly, they said there are night-time curfews
and blackouts. But something that approaches normality returns by day, they
reported, and thus far food remains plentiful.

The goal of the American-led operation is to break apart Mr. bin Laden's
terrorist network and to get rid of the militantly Islamic Taliban.

The 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world's largest
Muslim body, met in Qatar and warned Washington against inflicting civilian
casualties and going after Arab states. But significantly, it did not
condemn the American actions in Afghanistan, and that meant Washington
could claim something of an Islamic blessing, however tepid, for the
antiterrorist campaign.

Not that Americans were entirely pleased. Officials in Washington
complained especially about Saudi Arabia. It hasn't cooperated fully, they
said, in investigating the suspected hijackers in the terrorist attacks of
Sept. 11, and has refused to freeze the assets of Mr. bin Laden and his
associates.

Following The Money

One intriguing source of money for his network came to light: honey, a
staple in the Middle East since biblical times. Not only have honey sales
provided him with cash but they also make it easier for him to ship
contraband like weapons and drugs. The smell, it seems, camouflages what is
in the shipments.

Complicating matters for American officials were new concerns about whether
terrorism at home was more extensive than had been thought. Attention
turned again to Florida, where a third person tested positive for exposure
to anthrax. She was a co-worker of two men who also had been exposed to the
disease, one of whom died. The Florida situation is now the subject of a
criminal investigation, and while no one called it a terrorist act, no one
also ruled out the possibility.

The public's access to information in these circumstances can often be
limited. That became apparent on another front. The five major television
networks bowed to White House urging and said they would they sharply edit
future videotapes from Mr. bin Laden and his followers, to remove threats
and anti-American language that the government deems inflammatory. The
agreement came after talks between network executives and Condoleezza Rice,
the national security adviser.

It was the "patriotic" thing to do, one official said, given the tremendous
exposure that Mr. bin Laden has got. But it was also a rare joint
arrangement to limit news coverage, and the decision seemed likely to
intensify ongoing debates about how close the relationship should be
between the government and those who report on it.