First sight of special forces

This is the first photograph taken of the shadowy American special forces troops operating inside Afghanistan.

The picture was taken as five soldiers, dressed in jeans, trainers and bomber jackets, boarded a Russian-made Mi17 transport helicopter at an improvised air base near the village of Golbahar, 40 miles north of Kabul.

They arrived at the airstrip under tight escort early in the morning with three jeeps of Afghan soldiers from the rebel Northern Alliance to keep away curious passers-by. I had arrived shortly before, hoping to check on reports that mysterious Americans had been in the area in previous days, when I saw the men.

As the helicopter appeared through a gap in the mountains to the north-west, one of the soldiers, in beige trousers and a dark bomber jacket, waved a large flat red disc to guide the machine in to land. Two armed Afghan guards then raced up to my jeep and ordered me to leave moments after I took the picture. Ten minutes later, with the soldiers aboard, the helicopter took off and headed back towards the mountains.

But while their individual identities remain secret, the purpose of these men is about to become very public. In an interview this weekend, Northern Alliance Interior Minister Yonus Qanuni revealed that the special forces are here to turn Golbahar into a giant base from which the US-led coalition intends to launch its long-awaited ground war. In the past three weeks, an airstrip strong enough to take C-130 transport planes has been laid outside this village hidden among the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountain range.

Next to this airstrip, work is going on to prepare a disused factory to act as the US forward base. It is ideal for the purpose with high walls, watchtowers and barbed wire.

Inside the complex, there are huge warehouses which would provide ideal barracks. "The Americans came about four days ago, they were looking around the buildings," said one guard at the main gate.

Mr Qanuni said that when completed, the airstrip will be used by US transport planes to fly in huge quantities of arms and, crucially, ammunition, for a planned Northern Alliance offensive against the Taliban.

The move marks a turnaround for Washington, which had initially been sceptical about forging a pact with the Alliance.

But there is exasperation in the Bush Administration with the progress of the war so far. The original plan, to mix limited air strikes, diplomacy and attempts to ferment internal revolt, has been seen to have failed.

Instead, after initial dithering, Washington has finally gone into a firm pact with the Alliance.

Mr Qanuni said the Americans want the Northern Alliance to do the bulk of the fighting. Around Golbahar, that means an all-out push across the Shamili plain to capture the mountains that surround Kabul.

That assault will receive enormous American support.

Being flown in along with the fuel and ammunition will be a whole raft of new special forces troops, providing not just the forward air controllers who are here now, but a whole range of logistical, communications and planning experts to make this rag-tag army more efficient.