2A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 12, 2001 NATION/WORLD War may cost $1 billion a month - t a: ; NEWS IN BRIEF HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD 4 ; e y c, WASHINGTON (AP) - A U.S. helicopter lost in Afghanistan a week ago cost up to twice as much as the government spends yearly on scenic byways. Each cruise missile is worth several American homes. The total expense of the Afghan war may be nearly as hard to find as people hiding in Afghan caves. By one estimate, the military assault is costing $500 mil- lion to $1 billion a month - and above the $1 billion in promised U.S. economic assistance to Pakistan, and debt relief for the country.' The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assess- ments, a private research group that closely exam- ines the cost of war, offered that monthly figure. Precision is impossible without knowing more about how many bombs are being dropped and what is happening with U.S. forces on the ground, among other variables. Still, parts of the war are adding up: the estimated $5,000 an hour to fly a Navy FA-18 fighter-bomber, the $25,600 cost of one of the frequenty used Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs, the top-of-the-line Tomahawk cruise missiles. As for a running total, "It's very much ballpark," said Steven Kosiak, the center's director of budget studies. Some other analysts have projected higher costs. Stretched over a year, the price of the war could be $12 billion, half of what the federal government spends on medical research. By comparison, the bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999 cost the United States about $3 bil- lion. The 1991 Persian Gulf War'cost America an esti- mated $61 billion, but all but about $7 billion was reimbursed by allies. By some accounting methods, the United States may have even made a profit. Munitions at the disposal of U.S. forces in the Afghan war vary wildly in price. From the bargain basement: the 500-pound M-117, dropped from a heavy bomber, for a mere $300 apiece. At the high end: Tomahawk cruise missiles costing $600,000 to $1 million each, many times more than the $147,100 median price of an American home. U.S. officials said 50 Tomahawks alone were launched in the opening assault, some from British forces, making an expensive debut. Dependence on cruise missiles has lessened since then. Pentagon spokeswoman Susan Hansen said it takes time to calculate costs above those normally associated with having forces abroad in peacetime. TOKYO Japan enters war against terrorism Japan is planning to commit about 1,500 military personnel to the war against terrorism under a new law allowing its armed forces to transport supplies and provide other non-combat support, a newspaper reported yes- terday. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's conservative administration is expected to approve by the end of the week a plan outlining Japan's total military contribution to the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan. That contribution will include six or seven naval vessels carrying about 1,400 sailors, plus C-130 military transport aircraft and medical teams from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, the mass-circulation Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing a draft copy of the plan. Ordering its military to provide support for forces engaged in combat is a first for Japan since World War II. During the Gulf War ten years ago, Japan agreed to send minesweepers to the Persian Gulf only after the fighting was over. Three warships have already left Japan on a reconnaissance mission to scout sea lanes and gather other information for military officials plan- ning the operation. 0 Rebels claim Taliban is on the run JABAL SARAJ, Afghanistan (AP) - Opposition forces claimed to have the Taliban on the run across much of northern Afghanistan yesterday, as the ruling Islamic militia abandoned stronghold after stronghold in a with- drawal south toward the capital, Kabul. The foreign minister of the north- ern alliance, Abdullah, claimed the opposition had seized half the coun- try in the past two days and dealt the Taliban a severe blow as a fighting force. U.S. officials warned that a counterattack was possible. As Taliban fighters fled south, President Bush urged the opposition not to take Kabul before a new, broad-based government could be formed. However, Defense Secretary Don- ald Rumsfeld acknowledged yester- day that "we don't have enough forces on the ground to stand in their way" if the northern alliance tried to seize the capital. At a press conference here, Abdul- lah said the opposition had recap- tured its former headquarters, Talogan, and three other northern provincial capitals since Mazar-e - Sharif, linchpin of the Taliban defenses in the north, fell to the alliance on Friday. In Washington, however, Rumsfeld said that while the opposition had "effective control" of Mazar-e-Sharif, "there are pockets of resistance with- in the city." "There could always be a counter- attack," he said. The city's airport had not yet been secured, he added, though he thought it would be soon. Taliban officials acknowledged their forces were in a "strategic with- drawal," apparently toward Kabul and the ethnic Pashtun strongholds to the south. The alliance is dominated by Tajiks and Uzbeks, while Pashtuns_ the nation's largest ethnic group _ form the core of Taliban support. Abdul Hanan Hemat, chief of the WASHINGTON Pakistani president won't relinquish office g Gen: Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in Pakistan in 1999, said yesterday that he has no plans to relinquish the presidency in elections next year. He plans instead to eventually become a neutral "figurehead" to his people. Musharraf's remarks were the first time he explicitly counted out including the presidency in October 2002 national and provincial elections, the first since his bloodless coup. "I myself will remain as the president, and that is for sure, beyond 2002," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press." He said participating in elections would undermine his status as a unifying figure. "I would rather like to remain in my position as implementing something for the good of the country. I'll be a neutral figurehead." Opposition parties fear that Musharraf will rewrite the nation's constitution before the elections to broaden the president's power. Before Sept. 11, Musharraf had been under pressure from the West to democra- tize Pakistan. Since the terrorist attacks, the United States has come to rely on Pak- istan in the war against suspected terrorists and their protectors in Afghanistan. AP PHOTO A northern alliance fighter covers his ears near a firing mortar near the Quruq village in northern Afghanistan yesterday. U 6 Taliban's Bakhtar news agency, denied claims that Taloqan had fallen. The reports could not be indepen- dently confirmed. Foreign journalists do not have access to many of the front lines and have been speaking to opposition commanders by satellite phone. The opposition's Abdullah, who like many Afghans uses only one name, said some 200 Taliban fighters were killed in fighting for Taloqan and other towns. Both sides have exaggerated claims in the past. Bin Laden says he has bio-weapons but knew nothing of anthrax attacks ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Osama bin Laden said he had nothing to do with the anthrax attacks in the United States, and declared he would never allow himself to be captured, in the second part of a newspa- per interview published yesterday. "America can't get me alive;" bin Laden was quot- ed as saying. "I can be eliminated, but not my mis- sion." Bin Laden granted the interview Wednesday to Pak- istani journalist Hamid Mir, who said he was blind- folded and bundled -into a jeep in the Afghan capital, Kabul. He said he was driven five hours to a cold, mud hut where he spoke with bin Laden for two hours. It was impossible to independently verify Mir's account of the interview. Mir's newspaper, Ausaf, published part of the inter- view Saturday and included additional excerpts yester- day. Mir, who has written a biography of bin Laden that will be published soon, said the terror suspect declined to answer many of his questions. When Mir asked if bin Laden was responsible for the anthrax attacks, he laughed andsaid: "We don't know anything about anthrax." Bin Laden did claim in the portion of the interview published Saturday that his al-Qaida organizatior had nuclear and chemical weapons and would use them if the United States employed such weapons on him. Mir wrote that when he asked bin Laden where he allegedly got the mass destruction weapons, bin Laden replied: "Go to the next question." The United States says it has no evidence that bin Laden possesses nuclear weapons. Intelligence experts believe al-Qaida has experimented with crude chemicalweapons at a training camp in Afghanistan. FBI officials say there is no direct link between anthrax attacks in the United States and any cell or net- work, including al-Qaida. Mir said bin Laden vowed that if his Taliban allies lose Kabul and other cities, "we will move to the mountains. We will continue our guerrilla warfare against the Americans." LONDON British troops help northern alliance British ground troops are inside Afghanistan, providing assistance to northern alliance fighters, Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said yesterday. It was the first time the government has confirmed the presence of British troops in the country. "I can certainly confirm that there are members of Britain's armed forces on the ground in northern Afghanistan liaising with the northern alliance pro- viding advice and assistance," Hoon told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. The Ministry of Defense would not give details of the number of British troops in the country or their units. Last month, Britain announced that 600 special forces troops would be available for operations in Afghanistan. The plans called for 200 Royal Marine commandos operating from two assault ships in the region, with 400 men from' the same unit on standby in Britain. JERUSALEM Palestinian killed while making bomb A Palestinian militant was killed yesterday when a bomb he was mak- ing exploded, Palestinian security officials said, and an Israeli was shot dead northeast of Tel Aviv in what police suspected was a Palestinian attack. The incidents came as Secretary of State Colin Powell met in New York with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who is working on a new peace initiative that reportedly calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the areas already under Pales- tinian control as a first phase. Peres discussed the plan Saturday with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whose stated positions contrast with elements of the plan reported in Israeli media, namely that the Pales- tinians be granted more land in the Gaza Strip and West Bank as part of negotiations over final borders. JAKARTA, Indonesia Indepence leader killed; riots erupt Riots erupted yesterday after an inde- pendence movement leader was kid- napped and killed in Irian Jaya, one of several Indonesian provinces plagued by violence amid a traumatic transitioi to democracy after decades of dictatorship. Villagers found the body of Theys Eluay in his °wrecked carin aravirie 8 miles east of the provincial capital, Jayapura. Police said he appeared to have been strangled and that his assailants had tried to make the killing look accidental by pushing the car off a remote stretch of road. There were no clear suspects, and his driver was missing, they said. Eluay's widow, Yaneke, blamed the Indonesian military, which is often accused of human rights atrocities. Police said Eluay was killed as he returned home after dining with local Indonesian army commanders Satur- day night. - Compiledfrom Daily wire reports. i~is. learn how to be a nurse, 'bybeing an /1 Here's your chance to do what other students only read about. To get hands-on clinical experience, one-on-one training, and a shot at a scholarship worth thousands. It's all part of the Army ROTC Nursing program. Talk to an Army ROTC advisor today to find out more. Because it's time you put your passion into practice. The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. Winter term (January through April) is $110, yearlong (September through April) is $190. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. 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