COMPLETE COVERAGE | FRONT LINES | AMERICA AT HOME | INTERACTIVES »

Coalition aircraft bombard al Qaeda

U.S. service members deployed in Operation Anaconda have faced some of the fiercest fighting since the Afghan campaign began last year.

SUMMARY:

Heavy fighting erupted in eastern Afghanistan on Monday morning, as allied aircraft dropped bombs and fired missiles on Taliban and al Qaeda positions after more than a week of fighting.

U.S. and coalition forces are finding "smaller pockets" of the enemy fighters, a U.S. Army spokesman said Monday, six months after the terrorist attacks on the United States that led to the deployment of troops here.

Although Maj. Bryan Hilferty characterized the fighting near Gardez as "very light" in the past day, the battle picked up Monday morning, according to CNN's Nic Robertson, who is about one mile from the front lines.

"What we are seeing from here: sustained air bombing and missile attacks by allied aircraft," Robertson reported. "Anaconda appears to be going on full force." (Full story)

UPDATE:

Memorials across the United States on Monday marked six months since September 11. A sculpture was dedicated in New York's Battery Park, and President Bush spoke at a White House ceremony, saying "America will not forget the lives that were taken and the justice their death requires." (Full story)

Osama bin Laden moved his family to a safe house in a remote corner of Afghanistan days before the September 11 attacks on the United States, one of his four wives said in remarks published Sunday. (Full story)

Summary Update Key questions Who's who  CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

The United States flag is flying at full staff atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge for the first-ever time as an Australian tribute to those killed and affected by the September 11 attacks. (Full story)

Construction of 408 modular units to be used as detention cells will begin Monday at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in anticipation of the arrival of more al Qaeda and Taliban detainees, the commander of the facility said. (Full story)

The Pentagon said Saturday that a list of countries that could be targeted for U.S. nuclear attacks under certain circumstances is a "wide-ranging analysis" mandated by Congress and is not a guide to possible nuclear targets. (Full story)

The bodies of two German and three Danish soldiers killed in an ordnance-clearing accident in Afghanistan have arrived home. (Full story)

KEY QUESTIONS:

Will the war on terror result in nuclear weapons proliferation?

How long will Operation Anaconda continue? Does it represent al Qaeda's final stand?

Will the United States need to send more troops into eastern Afghanistan?

WHO'S WHO:

Osama bin Laden: Saudi Arabian-born leader of the al Qaeda terrorist network who is accused of masterminding the September 11 strikes on the United States.

George W. Bush: U.S. president

Donald Rumsfeld: U.S. defense secretary