AFGHANISTAN

Fighting reported in Kabul

By Associated Press,, 9/12/2001

ABUL, Afghanistan - Explosions could be heard north of the capital near the airport early today, hours after devastating terror attacks in the United States.

The United States quickly denied any involvement in the violence in Afghanistan, which has been shielding terror suspect Osama bin Laden.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the explosions in Kabul appeared to be the result of rocket attacks in response to the attack on rebel general Ahmed Shah Masood on Sunday. The insurgents blamed the attempt on the ruling Taliban, a hard-line Islamic group.

An opposition spokesman denied the rebels were responsible for this morning's violence.

From the Taliban's headquarters in southern Kandahar, Abdul Hai Muttmain, a spokesman for the Islamic militia, blamed the explosions on a fire at an ammunition depot. He did not say how the depot caught fire, but denied that there was an attack on the capital.

The explosions began around 2:30 a.m. and came in rapid succession, seconds apart, making buildings shudder.

There were no sounds of airplanes or antiaircraft fire.

Taliban soldiers in the center of Kabul said the explosions seemed to begin with a low-flying helicopter that fired rockets into the area of the airport. There was some return fire with antiaircraft weapons by Taliban forces, the soldiers said.

White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said the explosions were not US retaliation.

''The United States is not responsible,'' she said.

Pentagon spokesman Craig Quigley said he didn't know who was behind the explosions.

The Taliban condemned yesterday's attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, and rejected suggestions that bin Laden could be behind them.

This story ran on page A9 of the Boston Globe on 9/12/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.