Administration officials said Thursday's attacks were not designed to kill bin Laden. The U.S. attack targeted six sites in eastern Afghanistan, all part of the Zhawar Kili Al-Badr Camp. The camp is 94 miles south of Kabul, the capital, and about a mile from the Pakistan border. According to intelligence officials, the complex includes a command center, an ammunition depot and four training centers. At the camp, terrorists learn to handle explosives, run obstacle courses, practice on firing ranges and operate armed personnel carriers and tanks.
Instructors come from several countries.
The camp operates with the blessing, if not outright support, of the Taliban, U.S. officials say. Clinton administration officials chose to attack the camp partly because terrorist leaders were meeting there Thursday. The U.S. also targeted the Shifa Pharmaceutical Plant in Khartoum. Located in an industrial area, it was fenced and guarded by the Sudanese military. U.S. officials say there is no evidence any pharmaceuticals actually were made there.