U.S. jets pounded Taliban positions this morning near frontlines outside the Afghan capital in a key northern city. The attack came as Secretary of State General Colin Powell said he wanted to see the Afghan capital captured within the next few weeks, before the onset of winter. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected today to announce the deployment of British ground troops in Afghanistan before the onset of winter, and Russian President Vladimir Putin promised today to continue political and military support for the opposition Northern Alliance and said the Taliban should be excluded from Afghanistan’s future government.