How long will US attacks on Afghanistan last?

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, currently in India, said the combination of ground troops and air attacks in Afghanistan was proving to be efficient. "There's no question that the effectiveness of bombing is vastly improved, as you have people on the ground in communication, with the aircraft overhead," he said in New Delhi.

"And each day that we've been engaged in this since October 7th, we have been able to improve the effectiveness of it," he added.

US airstrikes continue

Meanwhile, US planes continued bombing on Monday, attacking targets in Kabul and on the Taliban front lines north of the capital.

With the campaign now in its fifth week, a hardline Pakistani Islamic party said thousands of pro-Taliban fighters had crossed into Afghanistan. They are armed with rocket launchers and swords to wage holy war against the US, the party said.