Still Fighting

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As the war in Iraq rumbles through its second week, the original war on terror—against remnants of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan—still seethes. U.S. forces opened a new front against pro-Taliban fighters last week, this time just outside Kabul. Operation Desert Lion, as it has been dubbed, is targeting suspected pro-Taliban forces in the snowy mountain range between the capital and the U.S. air base at Bagram, 50 kilometers away. In southern Afghanistan, 600 troops backed by choppers and fighter planes began a second week of scouring villages and mountain caves for rebels. Soldiers have taken nine men into custody and captured a large cache of weapons, but prize targets—such as ex-Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar and ex-Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar—continue to elude them. Meanwhile, they're facing increasingly ferocious sniper fire, ambushes in the field and more-frequent rocket attacks on their bases. (Soldiers aren't the only targets: the Red Cross suspended operations in the country after one of its workers was murdered by bandits last Friday.)

Another disturbing trend is that the 9,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan are being drawn into battles between warlords who are weakening President Hamid Karzai's government. In December, after an American vehicle was fired upon near the Iranian border, the U.S. sent in warplanes to quiet two sparring militias. More recently, on March 22 in Paktia province, the U.S. called in air strikes against warlord Pacha Khan Zadran, whose men had set up roadblocks and were shaking down travelers. Several militiamen were killed in the air raid, including Zadran's eldest son. Zadran had been considered an ally, but after his son's death, he's joined what appears to be a growing list of America's sworn enemies.