The Los Angeles Timesand USA Todaylead with the United States' accidental bombing of its own troops, which killed three U.S. soldiers and injured 20 others. Five Afghans also were killed, and a number were injured, including Hamid Karzai, who just was named prime minister of Afghanistan's coming provisional government.  "I'm fine," he told reporters. "I just have a scratch on my face." The Washington Postleads with word that al-Qaida troops in Tora Bora are "under heavy assault." The article, which like the other papers' similar pieces is datelined "Tora Bora," says that the anti-Taliban guerrillas are reporting heavy resistance yet still have "captured half the complex." (The LAT says they've only captured "a few caverns.") The New York Timesleads with a summary of the war, including updates on Tora Bora and the deaths of the U.S. troops. The Wall Street Journaltops its world-wide newsbox with news that's similar to yesterday's headlines: A Marine unit is patrolling near Kandahar and looking for a fight. "We stepped off into a new phase of this campaign, and that's participating in offensive operations," said one of the unit's top officers. Still, the Marines said that Afghan opposition forces will lead the way. 

The WP reports that the region's anti-Taliban commander says he doesn't want U.S. troops involved in the attack on Tora Bora, although he said he wouldn't mind a little U.S. air support. The commander said that 20 or fewer U.S. personnel are on the ground in the region. 

Why are the Afghan guerrillas so eager to run up the mountain?  "Twenty-five million," answered one top commander. "They promised it, and we will remind them." Another officer had a different explanation, "This was the center of our jihad [back in the 1980s]. Those people don't belong there."

The papers report that al-Qaida troops are trapped in Tora Bora; their escape routes have been snowed in. "They are surrounded by us," said one anti-Taliban officer. "We want to finish them very soon." Local commanders said they didn't know if Bin Laden was still hiding in the area. 

The WP and LAT note that one Afghan officer claimed that his group had intercepted an al-Qaida radio message ordering troops to hold their fire until the attackers climb the mountain, then trap 'em.

It's still unclear whether Bin Laden's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is dead. The papers quote the head of anti-Taliban forces in the area saying al-Zawahiri had an unpleasant, and fatal, encounter with a U.S. bomb. But the papers also emphasize that it's still unconfirmed.

The WP, in a profile of Afghanistan's coming prime minister, describes Karzai as a "bookish, balding" moderate who has good relations with the United States. (Apparently a number of his brothers have restaurants here.)  One sign of his reasonable ways: His wife is an OB-GYN. He's also well respected in Afghanistan, especially because of his connections to the former king. But at least one Afghan expressed a reservation, "He might just be too nice."

The NYT says that besides surviving a U.S. bombing, Karzai kept busy yesterday by negotiating with the Taliban for the surrender of Kandahar. He wouldn't give any details. USAT, meanwhile, says that Mullah Omar asked Karzai for amnesty. Karzai rejected him. 

The WSJ, in a remarkably in-depth article,has a possible explanation for why the errant bomb yesterday probably went off target: The U.S. military still relies on soldiers to read their instruments and relay bombing coordinates to strike aircraft, thus increasing the probability of human error. The Army already has a few gadgets that forward their readings directly to the attacking planes. But, says the WSJ,  "The Pentagon's penchant for big-ticket items such as ships, tanks and planes ... has conspired to delay investments in such newer, high-tech communications equipment." In other words, the troops yesterday didn't have 'em.

The papers report that Israel has stopped attacks against the Palestinian Authority and given Yasser Arafat 12 hours to get his act together. "You've been given a list of 36 people who to the best of our considerations are at the head of the terror, and I highly recommend that you put them in jail," said Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.