By GEOFF CUMMING and AGENCIES
Taleban troops stopped United States helicopters from rescuing opposition leader Hamid Qazai yesterday as allies in the war on terrorism promised to send in more ground forces.
Acting on a tip, the Taleban raided Qazai's hideout in mountains near southern Kandahar province and killed four supporters, the Afghan Islamic Press reported.
Qazai was later said to have escaped.
A supporter of ex-King Zahir Shah, he was on a US-financed mission raising tribal support against the Taleban.
Four US helicopters landed in Dehrawad town to try to evacuate him, but the Taleban blocked the attempt, said Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef.
The Pashtun tribal leader and most of his colleagues fled into the mountains, pursued by the Taleban.
His mission was similar to that of former mujahideen commander Abdul Haq, captured and executed on October 26. Both men crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan.
The Taleban later said they were closing in on Qazai, but his brother in Pakistan told Reuters he was "fine" after escaping.
The Taleban also claimed yesterday to have shot down and destroyed a US plane near the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. The Pentagon denied losing a plane.
Taleban troops defending Mazar have come under intense US fire this week as the opposition Northern Alliance tries to advance on the city, which has an important airport and controls a network of major roads.
Its fall would cut Taleban supply routes.
The alliance of minority tribes in northern Afghanistan controls about 10 per cent of the country, but is tainted by outrages which occurred during its pre-1996 hold on power.
But US objections to supporting the opposition have waned because of the failure to organise a post-Taleban government among the majority Pashtun, the Independent reported in London.
US jets and bombers gave Taleban positions another pounding, including further "carpet bombing" with 225kg bombs, yesterday.
Targets included a fuel and munitions dump north of Kabul, a garrison in northern Takhar province and a hydroelectric plant in southern Afghanistan.
A Northern Alliance spokesman said the opposition would soon breach the frontlines if the bombardment continued.
Despite such optimism, the alliance appears outnumbered and outgunned in much of the country - raising the need for coalition troops on the ground.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he hoped more special forces troops would soon be helping.
Fewer than 100 US troops are said to be now in Afghanistan.
Rumsfeld said he would like to see the numbers increase "as soon as humanly possible ... by three or four times".
He admitted that an earlier effort to land troops using helicopters did not go smoothly.
"Ground fire was simply too heavy to unload the folks and so they went back and they'll try it again in a different landing area."
Turkey has become the first Muslim ally in the "coalition against terrorism" to commit troops to Afghanistan. It is sending a 90-strong special forces unit to train Northern Alliance troops.
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Links: War against terrorism
Timeline: Major events since the Sept 11 attacks
Taleban fight off rescue attempt by US choppers
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