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| Afghanistan |
| Russia will supply Northern Alliance |
| 2001-10-04 |
Russia is planning to supply Afghan anti-Taliban forces with tanks, armoured vehicles and other arms worth up to $45 million in the coming weeks, a leading Russian newspaper reported on Thursday. But Russia's ambassador to ex-Soviet Tajikistan, through which the paper said Moscow would funnel weapons to Northern Alliance forces, said no Russian arms had arrived so far. "Up to now there has been only humanitarian aid," the envoy, Maxim Peshkov, told a news conference in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, referring to planeloads of food, blankets and medical supplies which Moscow has begun sending to northern Afghanistan. "There have been no guns or machineguns," he added. Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper, giving the first such comprehensive list of Russian hardware likely to be channelled to the U.N.-recognised Northern Alliance government, quoted defence sources as saying supplies would include 40-50 tanks, 60-80 armoured personnel carriers and ammunition for them. Russia would also supply Grad missile systems, artillery, mortars, anti-tank weapons and sniper rifles as well as Mi-24 attack helicopters and Mi-8 troop-carriers. "The total volume of military-technical assistance to the Northern Alliance up to the end of 2001 will be of the order of $30-45 million," the newspaper said. President Vladimir Putin has set increased arms supplies to the Northern Alliance as one of the main ways in which Moscow will support Washington's planned operations against "terrorist" bases in Afghanistan. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |