One hundred eleven years of editorialfreedom ti NEWS: 76-DAILY CLASSIFIED: 764-0557 wwwmichigandaly.com Tuesday November 13, 2001 I eq A 'Y Y I Taliban forces abandon Afghan Northern alliance celebrates return to Kabul a capital KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Taliban military forces deserted the capital of Kabul today, after a series of stunning military victories by opposition forces. At dawn, residents shouted congratulations to one another and northern alliance soldiers, honk- ing car horns and ringing bicycle bells. Northern alliance forces began moving into the capital in pickup trucks loaded with soldiers armed with rifles and rocket launchers. They met no resis- tance as they gained control of military barracks that only three hours before had been in Taliban hands. The northern alliance soldiers worked their way through neighborhoods, doing house to house searches looking for any remaining Taliban soldiers and their Arab supporters. Associated Press reporters heard sporadic small arms fire coming from the hills overlooking the city - apparently the work of northern alliance soldiers celebrating their return to the capital. Residents moved cautiously. They rode bicycles, stopping to ask each other, "Where are the Tal- iban?" As they retreated, the Taliban took eight foreign aid workers, including two Americans, accused of spreading Christianity in Muslim Afghanistan, wit- nesses told AP. "I saw them with my own eyes. They put them in the truck and then left at midnight. They said they are going to Kandahar," said Ajmal Mir, a guard at the abandoned detention center in the heart of the city where the eight had been held. From the rooftop of the Intercontinental Hotel on a hill overlooking Kabul columns of Taliban vehi- cles could be seen heading south beginning last night. The exodus continued after sun rise. "I think it is great news. It means the initial phase of the campaign is going well," Army Secretary Thomas White said. White said he thought "a combination of well-tar- geted air power along with movement on the ground by northern alliance forces" prompted the Taliban to flee Kabul. He spoke on CNN's "Larry King Live." Weeks of bombing by the United States weakened the Taliban sufficiently for the northern alliance to move across enemy lines. President Bush launched the air campaign on Oct. 7 after the Taliban refused to hand over bin Laden, prime suspect in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. The Taliban forces, which took control of Kabul in 1996, were heading south toward the town of Maidan Shahr, about 25 miles south of Kabul. As they had in the north of the country, the Islamic militia appeared to have decided to surrender terri- tory rather than fight. By moving south, the fighters seemed ready to fall back toward the last major Tal- iban stronghold of Kandahar. The area around the Taliban spiritual capital is rugged, mountainous terrain littered with caves that are believed to provide hideouts for Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist organization. The opposition had broken through Taliban front lines yesterday and taken the hills above Kabul after a string of victories that started Friday with the tak- ing of Mazar-e-Sharif. Before abandoning the capital, the Islamic militia circled the mile-high city with tanks to defend against an all-out assault and had vowed to defend the city. "We have decided to defend Kabul," the Taliban ambassador to neighboring Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef, said in Islamabad. "It is true that the opposi- tion breached our front line near Kabul, but we have erected another one and are strengthening our posi- See WAR, Page 7 AP PHOIO Two Northern Alliance fighters hold guns in Kabul, Afghanistan, after they moved into the capital today. Talban military forces deserted Kabul at dawn today after a series of stunning military victories by opposition forces over the past four days. I News sties up fears of terrorism By Rachel Green Daily Staff Reporter After hearing the news that an Ameri- can Airlines jet had crashed in New York yesterday, Nursing sophomore Carrie Marshall ran home to call her family and make sure her father and her step-father, who are both pilots for American Airlines, were safe. "I knew my dad was flying, so I ran home and made sure they were OK," she said. "I just hope it's not terrorism. All I could think was, 'Oh God, not again."' Marshall was unable to reach her father, who was in flight, but said she talked to her step-father, who assured her that he did not think the crash had the markings of a terrorist attack. With a scheduled trip to Texas planned for winter break, Marshall said she still intends to fly and hopes yester- day's apparent accident will lead to tightened air safety and security. Marshall, like most Americans living in the post-Sept. 11 world, has begun to fear the worst upon hearing of any dra- matic disruption to life as usual. Other students crowded around a tele- vision monitor in the basement of the Michigan Union watching the news reports expressed their sympathies for the residents of New York but said they were not worried about flying in the See REACTION, Page 7 Crash was likely an accident NEW YORK (AP) - A jetliner en route to the Dominican Republic broke apart minutes after takeoff and crashed in a waterfront neighborhood yesterday, engulfing homes in flames and sowing initial fears of a new terrorist atrocity-At least 265 people were killed, police said. "Everything points to an accident;' said Marion Blakey, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "The communications from the cockpit were normal up until the last few seconds before the crash." If there was an explosion on the plane - and many wit- nesses heard one - it was probably caused by a mechanical failure, investigators said. "I just thought, 'Oh, no, not again,"' said Milena Owens, who was putting up Thanksgiving decorations when she heard an explosion. American Airlines said 260 people were aboard the jetliner and authorities said none survived. Deputy Police Commis- sioner Joseph Dunne said 265 bodies had been recovered, but didn't provide details on how many people might have died on the ground. He said six to nine people in the neighborhood were missing. As night fell, several hundred people working under the glare of lights formed bucket brigades and separated debris into gruesome piles of luggage, plane parts and human remains. Police said the bodies were being recovered "relative- ly intact" - including a man found clutching a baby. American Airlines Flight 587, a European-made Airbus A300, left Kennedy Airport at 9:14 a.m., 74 minutes late because of security checks put in place after the World Trade Center attack, according to American Airlines chairman Don See CRASH, Page 7 AP PHOTOS TOP: The American Airlines Airbus A300 that crashed yesterday morning Is seen departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport in this July 1998 file photo. ABOVE: A New York City firefighter walks past the remains of a car and house that were destroyed in a fire caused by the crash of American Airlines Flight'587 yesterday in the Queens borough of New York. The jetliner en route to the Dominican Republic crashed minutes after takeoff, landing in the waterfront neighborhood, engulfing homes in flames. Student fee increase up for vote tomorrow MSAetections Fa8l 2001 Voting begins at midnight tonight. Cast your ballot at vote. www. umich. edu Election Board votes to eject 2 Blue candidates By Kara Wenzel Daily Staff Reporter By Kara Wenzel Daily StaffReporter The Michigan Student Assembly wants to increase funding for student groups, and they will be asking students to help foot the bill. A ballot initiative asking for a $1 increase in the student government fee will be on the ballot during the election, which begins tonight at midnight and will run through Thursday night. Every student at the University is assessed a $5.69 fee as a part of their tuition each semes- ter. If the ballot initiative passes, it will increase that fee to $6.69. Since 1998 the number of student groups on campus has risen to more than 1,000, said MSA President Nolan, and the amount of money groups have asked for has tripled, but requested was six times the amount of money, we have to allocate. Student group funding is really tight,'" Nolan said. "We're asking for a buck increase. What you get for that is $73,000 a year or more for funding. That's a lot of really cool stuff on campus that could be happening but isn't because of funding problems." Nolan said he does not think the fee increase is significant when comparing the University's fee to other Big Ten Universities. Michigan State University' has a $13 student fee and the University of Wisconsin at Madison currently charges a $139 fee for student government. The MSA code requires that $1 of the fee automatically go to child care services. Of the remaining $4.69, more than 50 percent is allo- cated to two committees, Budget Priorities and Community Service. These groups, composed rest of the money goes into a committee discre- tionary fund and is allocated to projects and groups as representatives see fit, The assembly code also requires funding the Ann Arbor Tenants Union with about $20,000 per year. The tenants union provides students who live off campus with counseling and legal assistance. The MSA budget also funds expenses such as office supplies, equipment rental, staff salaries, an annual conference and advertising. Nolan said MSA is required to keep a mone- tary reserve in case of emergency shortages because the allocations are made before the final budget is known. Student organizations, including 'club sports teams, glee clubs and fraternities or sororities can petition BPC or CSC for funds by complet- The Michigan Student Assembly Election Board last night disqualified two members of the Blue Party from this week's MSA elec- tion and disciplined 10 other party candidates amid allegations of improper entry into Uni- versity buildings to post campaign flyers. While the Election Board would not com- ment on why they removed the two candi- dates and assigned demerit points to the others, The Michigan Daily obtained a copy of a complaint report that details accusations of multiple violations of the MSA Election Code by Blue Party members. Election Board Director Elizabeth Ander- son said Jonathan Clifton and Scott Meves, two of the Blue Party's MSA representative candidates, were given five demerit points, ing the decision. The complaint also contained a copy of a Department of Public Safety report describ- ing incidents of alleged trespassing by Blue Party members who were taping campaign posters to the walls of the Modern Languages Building and the David M. Dennison Build- ing during the early mornings of Nov. 6 and 7. MSA President Matt Nolan, a Blue Party member, said that it has long been "common practice" for candidates to put up posters in the middle of the night. "There's no rule in the Election Code that says you cannot be in the buildings past a certain time," Nolan said. In the DPS report, Blue Party members said they were able to enter the buildings through unlocked doors. The complaint centers around a section of the