Afghanistan: September 26, 2001

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The US has begun its offensive against the Taliban, but the first wave is composed largely of diplomats. While TV screens are full of American troops, warships and combat aircraft, many factions in Afghanistan are being approached by American diplomats, directly or indirectly. The offer comes down to "bullets or bread." The US has yet to fire a shot at Afghanistan, but American bread and other supplies have been arriving regularly for over two decades.  A large number of factions within Afghanistan have expressed doubts about fighting America and seem willing to help, or at least not get in the way, with the search for terrorists. Meanwhile, in Kabul, a mob led by Taliban officials attacked the US embassy and burned it. The mob was angry over what the US might do to Afghanistan for the September 11 attacks on Americans by terrorists trained in Afghanistan. In the north, Taliban troops took back some of the territory they had lost recently to the Northern Alliance.