'Hospital hit' as special forces gunship pounds Taliban
Heavy air cannons are pounding Taliban positions in Afghanistan.
Intensive bombing of major cities including Kabul and Kandahar has sent residents running for cover.
Reports are coming from the Taliban that at least five people have been killed after a hospital was hit.
The US has brought heavy gunships into action for the first time.
The deployment of the AC-130 follows the fiercest daylight raids of the offensive and marks a stepping-up of attacks on Taliban bases and leadership.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in neighbouring Pakistan to shore up support for the US-led campaign, says Afghanistan's Islamic regime is "under enormous pressure" but is refusing to say whether he thinks it is near collapse.
The latest waves of air strikes were aimed at various Taliban targets. These included military bases and airports outside the capital of Kabul, Taliban leaders' southern base city of Kandahar and the key northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
Taliban Information Ministry official Abdul Himat claimed 13 civilians died in the assault at Kandahar. The claim is impossible to verify independently.
The Taliban are believed to still hold an unknown number of shoulder-fired Stinger missiles capable of bringing down aircraft.
High-firepower AC-130s are typically used to support ground forces trained for small-unit operations. There has been no word on whether the gunship's deployment means special forces have entered the battle on the ground.
