Some al-Qaida, Taliban leaders killed, but not bin Laden

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. airstrikes on two buildings in Afghanistan killed some senior leaders of the Taliban militia and al-Qaida terrorist network, the Pentagon spokeswoman said Thursday.

"One of our primary objectives over the last few days has been to go after command and control -- Taliban and al-Qaida leadership," said Victoria Clarke, spokeswoman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Speaking with reporters, she said the strikes on buildings near Kabul on Tuesday and Kandahar on Wednesday had resulted in the deaths of senior members of both groups.

"There was some senior leadership. ... No evidence that it was Osama bin Laden," she added.

The spokeswoman said she had no numbers or identities of those killed.

Clarke said there would be no halt in the bombing over the Muslim holy time of Ramadan, which begins this weekend.

"The terrorists don't take a break, we don't take a break," she said.

Clarke said she could not define how senior the leaders were.

The buildings were chosen as targets on the basis of intelligence information received prior to the strikes, she said.

Meanwhile, modest numbers of U.S. special operations forces are in the south of Afghanistan, continuing such activities as roadblocks and searching out potential havens of opposition activity. Clarke declined to be more specific on the number.