U.S. asks Turkey for troops

SUMMARY:

The United States has asked Turkey, a NATO-member country, to send military troops to Afghanistan as more U.S.-led airstrikes hit the southern Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.

UPDATE:

A large explosion rattled the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan early Wednesday as U.S.-led airstrikes reached the midpoint of their fourth week. Earlier in the overnight hours, jet fighters could be heard roaring through the skies above the city. Explosions were heard and flashes could be seen on the northern horizon. (Full story)

Turkish military sources told CNN that the United States had made the request for Turkish military personnel to go to Afghanistan. Turkish officials said they were looking positively at the request, which initially would involve the deployment of military advisers, with troops to follow. (Full story)

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has urged the Taliban to protect aid operations in Afghanistan. During meetings with the ambassador to Pakistan, Ruud Lubbers urged the Taliban to return looted U.N. property and to let the organization go about its work in Afghanistan. (Full story)

The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday thousands of Afghan refugees continue to cross into Pakistan through unofficial entry points. At a U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees briefing in Geneva, a spokesman said that more than 5,000 people crossed into Pakistan's Northwest Frontier province last weekend. (Full story)

Lakhtar Brahimi, the U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, said that the September 11 attacks were a "wake-up call" for the world not to allow states such as Afghanistan to decay to the brink of collapsing. "Even small countries far away like Afghanistan cannot be left to sink to the depths to which Afghanistan has sunk," he told CNN. (Full story)

VIDEO

CNN's John Vause reports on protests organized by the Pakistan-Afghan Defense Council, composed of 12 political parties and religious groups (October 26) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

CNN's Frank Buckley examines how NORAD, built to monitor missile activity during the Cold War, is now focused on new threats since September 11 (October 26) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)



		• Summary • Update • Key questions • Who's who • Impact



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KEY QUESTIONS:

What kind of government will replace the Taliban if the religious group is removed as the country's government? (Click here for more)

Where are the Taliban positioning troops and equipment in civilian areas? Does this factor into where the U.S. decides to strike? (Click here for more)

What effect will the support and opposition within Pakistan of the U.S.-led military strikes have on the war against terrorism?

When will the Northern Alliance, the anti-Taliban group that controls up to 10 percent of Afghanistan, begin a ground offensive to take the capital of Kabul? Are they making any progress? (Click here for more.)

What is life like in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, with increasingly intense U.S. airstrikes overhead? (Click here for more.)

How long will the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan last? (Click here for more.)

What is the goal of the U.S. airstrikes over Afghanistan? What is the key to the mission's success? (Click here for more.)

What is the White House doing to prevent al Qaeda from airing what it calls "propaganda" on U.S. media outlets? (Click here for more.)

Who are the key players in the political landscape of Afghanistan, and how could U.S. military intervention affect the balance of power there? (Click here for more.)

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president (Click here for more.)

Osama bin Laden: A wealthy Saudi expatriate living in Afghanistan who U.S. authorities cite as one of the primary suspects in masterminding the attacks. (Click here for more.)

Condoleezza Rice: U.S. national security adviser. (Click here for more.)

Colin Powell: U.S. secretary of state. A former Army general, Powell also served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Click here for more. (Click here for more.)

Gen. Richard B. Myers: Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Click here for more.)

Gen. Tommy Franks: Head of U.S. Central Command. (Click here for more.)

Donald Rumsfeld: U.S. secretary of defense. (Click here for more.)

George Tenet: CIA director. (Click here for more.)

Northern Alliance: A group of former mujahedeen fighters, mainly from minority ethnic groups that oppose the Taliban. The group controls about five percent of northern Afghanistan.

George Robertson: Secretary-General of NATO (and former British defense minister) (Click here for more.)

IMPACT:

The military attacks that began October 7 mark the start of what the Bush administration says will be a lengthy struggle against terrorist organizations worldwide -- one that could take years.