As the U.S. attack on Afghanistan intensifies, Washington’s war on terrorism is threatening to spin out of control. New alliances, old wars, popular unrest, a growing humanitarian crisis and political intrigue are all complicating "Operation Enduring Freedom."

U.S. commandos are conducting limited operations in the Afghanistan gathering intelligence, conducting reconnaissance and aiding anti-government rebels. In surrounding countries, U.S. planes are ferrying in troops and war materials to newly acquired bases in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers said this month that the Afghanistan phase was going to be a "very long campaign."

Speaking about the broader war against terrorism, Vice President Dick Cheney said it "may never end--at least not in our lifetime." Cheney warned the public, "we will probably suffer more casualties here at home in America
than among our troops overseas."

In Uzbekistan, the Bush Administration has inked a deal with the government to acquire long-term bases, the first former Soviet republic to allow U.S. forces on its soil, much to Moscow’s consternation. President Bush is giving
the government security guarantees in exchange for the bases, which are already being used for combat operations.

Millions of Afghanis have been put to flight by the assault. The ruling Taliban regime says over 1,000 civilians have died so far. The Pentagon disputes the figure, and it’s virtually impossible to verify all the
Taliban’s claims, but independent journalists have corroborated numerous cases of civilian casualties. So far, U.S. ordnance has hit a boys’ school, a Red Cross compound, civilian areas in cities, villages, at least two mosques, a senior citizens’ center, an office for mine-clearing operations and a military hospital.

The greatest threat to refugees, warns the United Nations, is the lack of food and the looming winter. Aid officials say up to 7.5 million Afghanis are at risk of starvation in the coming months, and up to 100,000 children may perish. It’s estimated the refugees will need 50,000 tons of wheat a month, but the bombing has hampered convoys from bringing in the food.

Mary Robinson, the UN human rights commissioner, asked, "Are we going to preside over the deaths from starvation of hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people, this winter because we didn't use the window of opportunity?" The U.N. is also criticizing Washington for asking
Afghanistan’s neighbors to seal their borders, preventing refugees from reaching aid. Fuel imports are also being blocked at Washington’s behest to ground Taliban vehicles. But fuel is an important source of heat during the brutal winters in the largely treeless countries.

To address the need, the U.S. has air dropped over 500,000 food packages in Afghanistan. Doctors Without Borders President Jean-Herve Bradol questioned the efficacy of the aid. "This is totally uncoordinated with no preparation,
it’s expensive, the most needy won’t necessarily get any, much will be wasted, and worse, food dropped like that in the middle of the night may well end up in minefields," said Bradol. Afghanistan may be the most heavily mined country in the world.

The Bush Administration launched the attack on October 7, saying it was seeking to oust the Taliban for harboring alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and members of al Qaeda, the international conglomeration of armed
religious extremists. Despite an enormous effort, the Pentagon has been unable to locate bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding out in eastern Afghanistan, one of the most inhospitable regions in the mountainous country.

The Taliban is estimated to have 40,000 men under arms, including thousands of highly motivated volunteers from Pakistan and other Muslim countries. The Pentagon is targeting some Taliban soldiers in areas where they are squared off against rebels of the Northern Alliance. But it has mostly spared Taliban troops north of Kabul because the Pakistani government is opposed to the Alliance. According to the New York Times, Pakistan "has threatened to close its airspace to American aircraft and cancel support if the bombing allows the Northern Alliance to overrun Kabul."

Secretary of State Colin Powell even suggested that a future government might include "moderate" Taliban. Additionally, a senior Bush Administration official told the Los Angeles Times, "We don't believe any single faction
can form a stable government in Kabul . . . including the Northern Alliance." One alliance leader countered, "if the U.S. tries to play some Pakistani game with us, they will fail and fail badly like all the foreigners before them."

Washington is also wary of the Russians, who may be trying to beat U.S. forces to Kabul. According to the Moscow Times, "Reliable sources in Moscow say that parts of the Russian 201st division have also crossed from Tajikistan into Afghanistan to help fight the Taliban. Russian officers and tank crews are operating with the anti-Taliban forces . . . north of Kabul."

As part of the buildup, reports the Debka File, President Bush reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 23 to deploy tactical nuclear weapons at four former Soviet military bases in Central Asia. In return, the White House overlooked Russia’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in its own fight against religious extremists in the breakaway Republic of Chechnya.

Stoking fears of a wider war, the U.S. representative to the United Nations sent a letter to the Security Council saying it may attack "other organizations and other states," citing "self-defense" provisions of the
international body’s charter. And the Justice Department released a list of the 22 "most wanted terrorists" residing in countries from Lebanon to the Philippines, perhaps indicating future military targets. U.S. Under-Secretary of Defense Richard Armitage warned that Syria may be a
future target and Pentagon hawks, who are eager to topple the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, have been blaming Iraq for the unexplained outbreaks of anthrax in New York and Florida.

Tensions are also increasing between India and Pakistan over their conflict in Kashmir. The Indian government is threatening to intensify its campaign in the disputed province against armed extremists and has threatened to
launch attacks on Pakistan, which shelters many of them. Since a car bomb set off by Pakistani-backed militants killed 38 in the provincial capital of Srinagar in early October, New Delhi has increased its repressive
occupation, reportedly detaining and killing dozens of villagers.

The bombing campaign has ratcheted up tensions in Pakistan, where numerous protesters have been killed. Pakistani strongman General Pervez Musharraf has purged the army brass of Taliban allies, placed religious leaders under
house arrest, and sent heavily armed troops into the streets to crack down "firmly and swiftly" on protesters. But thousands of demonstrators besieged the city of Jacobabad in the southern province of Sindh, home to one of four bases being used by the Pentagon, and engaged in pitched street battles with police and paramilitary forces in mid-October. In an even more ominous development, the army General Headquarters located near the capital of
Islamabad burned to the ground October 10. Presidential spokesman Major General Rashid Quereshi attributed it to "short-circuiting."

Saudi Arabia, bin Laden’s ex-homeland, is also under strain. Members of the royal family are reported to have fled to Geneva and the Saudis told Prime Minister Tony Blair not to visit on his recent swing through the region for fear of sparking further anti-Western sentiment. One high-ranking Saudi cleric has already called on the royal family to be toppled. The White House is unhappy with its ostensible ally, which has denied the Pentagon the use
of a key command-and-control facility it built in the desert kingdom. The White House asked the Saudis to freeze accounts it says are linked to bin Laden. The Saudis have demurred; observers say they are afraid of revealing
financial support among some princes for bin Laden. Washington responded by freezing the accounts of prominent Saudis tied to the royal family without informing them—a major diplomatic snub.

The White House says it has evidence tying bin Laden to the devastating September 11 attacks. The case laid out last month by Prime Minister Blair in the British Parliament, however, lacked specifics. Only nine of the 70 points even relate to the atrocities. Appearing on CNN on October 8, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Reagan administration official Edward Peck said of the case, "I have read that material. That’s allegations. That’s not proof."

Blair claimed the September 11 attack bears resemblance to previous al Qaeda operations, three of the alleged hijackers were "associates" of the network, bin Laden had previously threatened a "major attack on America," and al
Qaeda operatives were told to return to Afghanistan before the eleventh. If true, these reports arouse suspicion, but they hardly constitute authorship of the crime.

Many countries have pointed to the lack of evidence in withholding material or verbal support for the United States’ war. Nonetheless, the White House appears determined to wage a war against a hidden opponent, with civilians suffering the brunt of the assault.