Wait almost over for attack on Afghanistan, says analyst

The US and its allies looked set to launch a massive aerial bombardment of Afghanistan tomorrow, according to a military expert.

Major Charles Heyman, of the London-based global defence magazine Jane's, told the South China Morning Post: 'All the signals are that the action will start on Thursday morning [GMT].

'It will begin with a very, very heavy wave of air attacks across Afghanistan directed at known terrorist bases and military assets of the Taleban regime.'

But he warned that air strikes could be followed by a land invasion if the US felt the need to drive home the message to the Islamic regime in Kabul.

These would include armoured fighting vehicles, such as tanks, artillery, fuel dumps, military hardware dumps and communication centres. 'The aim is to destroy the military capability of the Taleban because of their support for bin Laden,' he said.

He added the US would use its full aerial capability, stretching from B-52 bombers, used in the Vietnam War, to hi-tech F-15 fighters. The major also predicted that there could be a role for British fighter bombers in the attack, but expected the vast majority of planes to be drawn from US forces, including the four aircraft carriers close to Pakistan's coast.