The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 9, 2001 - 7A Mazar-e-Shari is eyb JABAL SARAJ, Afghanistan (AP) - At the crossroads "This would give more facilities to the United States to of a dozen northern provinces, Mazar-e-Sharif is the linch- get rid of terrorists," said Mohammed Karim Khalili, leader pin in the Taliban's grip on northern Afghanistan. Seizing it of the Shiite Muslim opposition. would give the opposition and the US.-led coalition their For the Taliban, losing Mazar-e-Sharif, could threaten to first in-country staging ground for the fight to capture isolate thousands of their troops elsewhere in northern and Osama bin Laden and topple his Taliban protectors. northwestern Afghanistan. For the United States and the northern alliance, Mazar-e- "Yes, we are interested in a " Gen. Tomy Sharif offers two key prizes: a working airport and a road Franks, commander of U .S. forces in the Afghan conflict, link to Uzbekistan about 40 miles to the north. told reporters in Washington. "Wre interested in it because That would enable the United States and its allies to rush it would provide a land bridge, as has been said, up to in large quantities of ammunition, tanks, artillery and other Uzbekistan, which provides us, among other things, a supplies to bolster the ill-equipped opposition forces. humanitarian pathway for us to move supplies out of Cen- Uzbekistan supports the U.S.-led campaign against terror- tral Asia and down into Afghanistan." ism and has allowed about 1,000 U .S. soldiers to be sta- Taliban troops defending the front lines outside Mazar-e- tioned on its soil. Sharif, a city with an estimated population of about U U.S. officials stressed the corridor could also be used to 200,000, are being pummeled by US. warplanes, while truck in food and other humanitarian supplies to help opposition, soldiers are waging a three-pronged attack from Afghans survive the winter. the south. The city's airport could be refurbished into a base not Most Taliban fighters are ethnic Pashtuns, the main eth- only for flying in supplies but also for mounting air attacks nic group nationwide but a minority in the north. By con- against Taliban forces elsewhere in the strategic north. trast, the people of Mazar-e-Sharif are mostly Tajiks and 'attleground Uzbeks. One of the three columns attacking the city is led by Rashid Dostum, an Uzbek who ruled Mazar-e-Sharif until it fell to the Taliban in 1998. Pentagon officials say the situation on the battlefieldis fluid, and Franks said, "it's a bit early to characterize this as the success that will enable our establishment of the land bridge." Reporters have no access to the area and are relying on information from opposition spokesmen contacted by satel- lite telephones. Normal telephone links tothe city have been cut. As a result, it is difficult to deternine conditions for civil- ians in the city, who have been largely cut off from the rest of the country for months. There are 12 refugee camps in the Mazar-e-Sharif area where 42,400 people live, according to UNICEF, a moder- ate number compared with other parts of the country. Near H-erat in western Afghanistan, for example, there are 210,000 refugees, according to U.N. figures. The total num- ber of displaced within Afghanistan's borders is 350,000, the U.N. says. Strategic city The northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif has become a key battleground in the last week. Isolated from Kabul to the south by the Hindu Kush mountains, Mazar-e Sharif controls a northern corridor of strategic towns and the only land route to Uzbekistan. y UZBEKISTAN: T ISTANHATermez' ieornn Q. 1,00 km Sharif,: Tlga' Shebergan * _" onduz f SSolgara!"e .~.Dara e Sufi "3 H .AFGHANISTAN ' Herat 4FarnrUd Rivgr 4r - ''u = Ghaghcbura SOURCES: Associated Press; ESRI; USGS AP Special forces raid questioned 1~ ~ ' A I ' Los Angeles imes WASHINGTON - Three weeks after it took place, the only ground attack known to have been mounted by U.S. forces in Afghanistan is coming under criticism from some former special forces officers and military experts. Some of the critics contend that the Oct. 19 raid, which struck an airfield and a residence of the Taliban's leader in southern Afghanistan, misused stealthy special operations troops by deploying them as part of a noisy assault that also included a sizable force of U.S Army Rangers. Others charge that U.S. commanders shouldn't have risked the troops in an effort that = with news leaks the night it happened and film footage afterward - was pri- marily a show for the world news media. But other experts and special forces veterans contend that although the mission captured neither Taliban lead- ers nor key documents, it was well executed - and that the more important question is why there apparently have not been more like it. Pentagon officials continue to strongly defend the operation. Although they acknowledged earlier this week that 31 troops suffered injuries in the attack - significantly more than initially reported - they say the injuries were all minor and not a result of enemy resistance. Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the mission "flawless." ISLAM Continued from Page 1A Arbor. "I attended Dr. Fareed's lecture to learn more about Islam. It's a fascinating religion and an interesting lifestyle." Vinay D'Souza, an LSA senior, attended the lecture to learn more how Islam fits into the larger international com- munity. 'I attended to learn more about the Muslim way of life," said D'Souza. "I have heard a lot in the news recently about Islam and I wanted to learn about it from an Islamic scholar. I was interested to hear how Dr. Fareed would respond to ques- tions about the current international situation." Somia Ahmad, a first-year Dentistry student, has attended all of the lectures sponsored by the Muslim Student Associa- tion this year. "I've been coming to all the lectures to gain insight andsto participate in dialogue about Islam and the current situation," said Ahmad. "Now more than .ever, it is important to teach people about both the differences and the similarities between the Muslim world and the United States." Sana Ashcraf, an LSA junior, identifies with both Islam and the Western world. "I am a Muslim and I am an American. It's very difficult to know which way to think," said Asheraf. "I have lived here all my life and I want what is best for the United States. I can't relate when Muslims terrorize - they use religion as a scapegoat for hate crimes." Fatima Aziz, an LSA junior, appreciates the Muslim Stu- dent Association's efforts during this year's Islam Awareness Week.. "I think this year's Islam Awareness Week helped to improve non-Muslims understanding of Islam," said Aziz. "I feel that Muslims and non-Muslims alike are reaching out to try to understand each other." Omar Razzacki, a member of the Muslim Student Associa- tion, spoke with interested students about the teachings of Islam this week. "We set up booths on the Diag and in the Union so we could talk about Islam with Muslim and non-Muslim stu- dents," said Razzacki, an LSA junior. "Many students have questions about Islam, we provided an outlet for answers." Kenan Basha, vice president of the Muslim Student Asso- ciation, considers Islam Awareness Week to be a positive cat- alyst for student discussion. "I definitely think this week improved non-Muslims under- standing of Islam because people were able to discuss Islam face to face," said Basha, a Business junior. "Face-to-face interaction helps to break down stereotypes. Students can see that their Muslim friends are really no dif- ferent from their Jewish or Christian friends and that is really important in today's world." MEMORIAL Continued from Page 1A Moore understood the cultural bur- dens she faced. "I connected with her in a way I had never connected with anyone since leaving home. She brought out the best in me and taught me to focus on the positives in life. She has a won- derful gift to make people comfort- able and for interacting with a diverse group of people," Selassie said. Malcolm Bernard, Elisa Moore's cousin, said because Moore enjoyed interacting with people of different cultures and nationalities, she devel- oped a passion for international busi- ness. Her father said that along with her work, Elisa Moore. loved singing for gospel choirs. The University of Michigan Gospel Chorale, which Elisa Moore practiced with a few times, perfbrmed several energizing songs during the memorial. David Moore said the chorale was invited to perform because his daughter loved Christian gospel music. David Moore said religion was a He said she was the vice president and one of the founding members of a church group called Adventist Stu- dents for Christ. She had been on her way to attend a meeting of the group when she struck a deer on U.S. 23 and lost control of her vehicle. David Moore said his daughter was a loyal Democrat, and she volunteered for former President Bill Clinton's campaign by encouraging people to vote. He said the last message she left on her mother's answering machine was. a reminder to perform her civic duty by voting. major part of the daughter's life. last year of his MONTS Continued from Page 1A versity Musical Society-sponsored events or even know what the Life Sciences Orchestra is. "We also want to make certain that our students have the best possible opportunity to participate and experience the arts and culture that come to our campus on an annual basis;' Monts said. This will include collaborating with the different colleges and schools within the University as well as individual groups, such as the Arts at Michigan Program, he said. As for diversity, Monts said the University needs to main- tain its position at the forefront of the drive for diversity. "We want to highlight and fold into the campus environ- ment high level activities and events that inform us about the broad range of issues facing diversity in higher education," he said. "I see myself as sort of a coordinator of these things. Monts added that he would look to the University's deans, students and colleagues in the provost's office for ideas. "What I'm hoping for is what I call 'yes-able' propositions good ideas put forth as proposals to which we can say yes to,' White said. Monts will take on the new position in addition to main- taining his current post. "Lester Monts has a big leadership job currently," White said. "That work is going to continue. This role is one of work- ing closely with me as president of the University to ensure that we maintain continuity and momentum in the areas of the arts, diversity and undergraduate education. I think that the Bollinger administration has done a very good job of launching important initiatives, of which these are three." While the position is not an executive office, Monts will make reports at the monthly University Board of Regents meeting. White added the post is not permanent. "I think that Lester and I had agreed that we would just take it a step at a time," he said, adding that once a permanent president is found, Monts may advise that person on how the office functioned during the interim presidency and a final decision can be made from there. BUSH Continued from Page 1A cans. He also outlined actions the government has taken to strengthen homeland security, including deploy- ing National Guard troops to airports and giving law enforcement authori- ties more powers. "None of us would ever wish the evil that has been done to our coun- try, yet we have learned that out of evil can come great good. During the last two months, we have shown the world America is a great nation," he said. The address was billed as an update on the war in Afghanistan, the anthrax scares at home and the new responsibilities of government and all Americans. He also outlined actions the gov- ernment has taken to strengthen homeland security. "Our great national challenge is to hunt down the terrorists and strengthen our protections against future attacks; our great national opportunity is to preserve forever the good that has resulted," Bush said. "Through the tragedy, we are renew- "During the last two months, we have shown the world America is a great nation." - President Bush ing and reclaiming our strong Amer- ican values." He said the country is different - "sadder and less innocent; strong and more united" - than before the attacks. He spoke in Atlanta, chosen because it-is home'to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention, the nation's leading disease control facility. Recognizing in polls a desire by Americans to get involved in the fight against terrorism, the president suggested ways people can serve their country. He urged people to head into "careers of service," such as firefighting or police work. SECURITY Continued from Page 1A Not needing to search bags "will give police officers a better oppor- tunity to look out for behavior of people and hidden things," Brown said. "The biggest issue with Crisler and Yost is that they don't have a prohibited items list." While the original policy changes only affected the football stadium, the Athletic Department and DPS decided to include the other two arenas to keep policies consistent. The new policy will last only as long as it has to, she added. Other colleges, such as Michigan. State University, have been using similar policies but differ on the reach of the restrictions. Michigan- State's policy states that absolutely all packages are prohibited. "We certainly stepped up our police presence," said Lt. John McCandless, special events coordi- natpr at the Michigan State Depart- ment of Police and Public Safety. 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