The New Rules of Engagement

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Rule 4: Gird for Winter
By late November, frigid winds will be blowing south from Siberia, and the mountain paths of the Hindu Kush will be buried in snow. The main supply route for Northern Alliance fighters north of Kabul will ice over. Working in the Alliance's favor: the Taliban like the cold even less. "They are from the south, so they are not used to winter fighting," says Noorahmad Atay, a commander in the Alliance-held Keshem district. "We are cold-weather people, so we can fight without a problem."

The U.S. Army has for years trained to fight in winter conditions. But no matter how inured to the elements a fighting force may be, everything is harder in the cold. Bundled-up troops have difficulty moving and hearing instructions, and the cushion of snow can smother the potency of munitions. Soldiers barreling out of transport planes must prevent the condensation that forms inside their rifle barrels from freezing; that could cause weapons to burst when fired.

The weather poses particular problems for special-ops forces, who rely on low-altitude helicopter and warplane support that could get scuppered by storms. But one of the key methods the U.S. military will use to hunt down cave-dwelling terrorists will be helped by the chill. U.S. choppers are equipped with systems especially designed to detect heat--including warm air coming from occupied caves. Once such a cave is detected, F-15Es will be dispatched to collapse it by dropping 5,000-lb. EGBU-28 bunker-busting bombs on them, or by firing AGM-130 Maverick missiles into them. Inclement weather may offer an added bonus: if a storm strands bin Laden's traveling convoy in a mountain hideaway for even a day too long, the U.S.'s heat-seeking gunships may have time to take him out.

Rule 5: Get a Better Megaphone
In one theater the U.S. is already losing big: the battle for the support of despairing people in Afghanistan, massed along the Pakistan border and shouting in the streets of the world's Islamic capitals. Last week Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called for a prompt end to military action but also said his government will cooperate with the U.S. "until the objectives are achieved." His government's inability to contain jihadist fervor was underscored last Tuesday, when 22 Pakistani volunteers were killed in a bombing raid on Taliban forces in Kabul.

Even so, the Musharraf government does not appear in danger of collapse; and despite the possibility of a protracted war, the 140-nation coalition against terrorism is holding. An immediate concern is Muslim disgruntlement about the U.S.'s conducting operations during the holy month of Ramadan. Secretary of State Colin Powell said last week that the U.S. will see where it stands when Ramadan begins, Nov. 17. In private, everyone knows the fighting won't stop. "It's a hedge," says a senior official. "We're not going to give them a free pass on Ramadan."

That's understandable--Muslim armies have often waged war during Ramadan--but hedging won't win the propaganda war. The West is trying to make up ground; the British government has booked Arabic-speaking officials to appear on al-Jazeera and other TV outlets, and last week the U.S. enlisted former ambassador to Syria Chris Ross, who speaks Arabic, to do similar interviews. But the American President may need to pitch in as well. St. Andrews University terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp offers a suggestion: Bush should master a few Arabic words and broadcast a message to Muslims before Ramadan, the way John Kennedy melted cold war suspicions in 1963 by declaring "Ich bin ein Berliner." It may not work as well this time. But if the U.S. hopes to keep the world on board for the long haul, it's as good a place as any to start.

--Reported by Hannah Beech/ Keshem, Hannah Bloch and Terry McCarthy/ Islamabad, Massimo Calabresi and Mark Thompson/ Washington, Mitch Frank/ New York, Ghulam Hasnain/ Chaman, J.F.O McAllister/ London, Tim McGirk/ Quetta and Alex Perry/ Tashkent

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