Bill Sykes' Newsletter from America.
(January 2002)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
The massacre at Mazar-E Sharif.
 Very
little has been said about the terrible massacre at the
forbidding fortress on top of that dusty hill in the vicinity
of Mazar-E Sharif.
From the little news available I understand that approximately
500 Taliban prisoners and 150 National Alliance troops met
their death within the fortress walls on that desolate hilltop.
Forgive me for my ignorance but from the scenes of carnage
that I briefly witnessed in the TV newscast, how on earth
does one distinguish friend from foe?
The words of a poem I learned in my youth so long ago come
to mind.
The sand was red with the blood they shed-play up play up
and play the game.
Sorry I cannot remember the name of the poet or the poem.
Will someone please enlighten me?
Another Friendly Fire incident.!!!
It has been reported by local Afghan sources that a convoy
carrying Tribal Delegates/Elders to Kabul for the swearing
in ceremony of the new Afghanistan Administration was attacked
near Khost, a town SW of Toro Bora, by United States AC-130
gunships and fighter aircraft.
 The
compound from which the convoy departed was destroyed, and
according to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "It
was a large convoy, and there were lots of vehicles damaged
or destroyed, and a lot of people killed".
According to Pentagon sources, the people killed were identified
as a group of Taliban Leaders.
If the initial report is accurate, indicating that the
convoy was carrying Tribal Delegates/Elders, this incident
could be a very damaging and embarrassing blow to the United
State's political efforts to establish a stable Government
in Afghanistan. !!!
It will be interesting to see how this episode concludes.
They seek him here they seek him there.
 Osama
bin Laden has been reported by American sources and National
Alliance forces to still be in Afghanistan.
The usual conjecture has placed him in many places, from
Tora Bora in the north, to Kandahar in the south.
There are many mountainous escape routes between Afghanistan
and Pakistan, including the Pashtun controlled area of Pakistan
bordering upon the Afghanistan, between Islamabad and Jahalabad,
and even the silk trade routes to China.
Your guess is as good as mine.
So what do you think?
The Bin Laden tapes.
When considering the Bin Laden tapes for authenticity,
I considered inputs from several sources and found this
consensus of opinion:
As expected the vote went along party lines.
 a)
The American viewer was 95% convinced of the tapes authenticity,
and condemned the dissenter.
b) The Islamic Arab viewer, (Middle East etc.) came in with
a 95% nay vote, and condemned the believer.
c) The European viewer, (Britain, France, Germany, Italy),
although generally convinced of the authenticity, gave more
thought to the identities of the people on the tape, the
poor quality of the tape, (even when taking into consideration
the amateur camera operator), the location where the tape
was found in a derelict bombed out house in Kabul, and the
identity of the actual person who so say found the tape,
and condemned both the believer and the disbeliever.
Your guess is as good as mine.
Tell me, was the identity of the person who discovered the
tape ever revealed?
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