The Russian President has said that his government is prepared to offer arms and military equipment to Afghanistan's anti-Taliban opposition. In a televised speech, President Vladimir Putin also said Russia would open an air route for humanitarian aid if the United States attacked Afghanistan. However, he made no concrete offer of military assistance to Washington. Russia mounted a disastrous military campaign in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989.
A television station in Qatar reported today that Osama bin Laden has urged Pakistanis to fight "the US crusaders". In his first reported comments since the terrorist attacks in United States, prime suspect bin Laden is quoted as saying that he and his followers were firm on the road of jihad for the sake of God.
In Afghanistan, the ruling Taliban has taken over United Nations offices in the southern city of Kandahar. It has also placed a communications blackout on other UN operations in the country. A UN spokeswoman said that the Taliban had closed down work and mine-clearing operations.
This comes as Pakistan withdrew staff from its embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The country's foreign minister said that the move was for security reasons. He said that the move was a temporary measure and declined to say when they would return.
In a separate development, the United States embassy in Islamabad has confirmed that a US military delegation is in Pakistan. The delegation will discuss plans for any possible military action against Afghanistan.
The arrival of the delegation had been kept secret. The Pakistani government has said its ready to offer Washington full co-operation if President Bush decides to launch a military attack on neighbouring Afghanistan.
But no details have been provided so far. The President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Khatami, have warned that any unilateral action in response to the terrorist attacks would have grave ramifications.
The two leaders, who had a telephone conversation on the crisis, agreed that any response should be under the framework of the United Nations.
The Afghan Defence Minister has said meanwhile that the Taliban regime is mobilising an additional 300,000 men for the army, in preparation for war. Mullah Obaidullah said that hundreds of thousands more were signing up to help fight a jihad against the US, should the need arise.
The United States has beefed up their military presence in the Gulf region, following Kabul's refusal last week to hand over the prime suspect of the attacks on US buildings.
The Taliban has issued an order for Osama bin Laden to leave the country voluntarily. But the rulers of Afghanistan say they cannot find the Islamic fundamentalist, in order to deliver the document.
The Taliban ambassador in Islamabad, Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef, has told a news conference in the Pakistani capital that Kabul is mobilising for war.
Elsewhere, the Taliban has admitted it has suffered losses in fighting against the opposition Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan.
The Northern Alliance has said that it is closing in on the strategic northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif amid heavy fighting with Taliban forces.
It follows advances by anti-Taliban forces, with the capture of the Zari district in the north. The Afghan news agency has reported the Taliban confirmed today that they had lost control of Zari.
