"We were briefed to be a combat air patrol," the American pilot said on this aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, describing for reporters the first wave of combat flights Sunday night into Afghanistan. But rather than fighting Taliban aircraft, they were switched at the last moment before takeoff to striking ground targets.

Eric, 34, of Virginia Beach, Va., wouldn't say what his target was, but reported direct hits. The U.S. military is not allowing any members of the U.S. forces to be fully identified.

Other pilots speaking to reporters Monday reported the same shift from air-to-air to air-to-ground missions, indicating the Taliban were unable to pose much of a threat, if any, with their aircraft.

Some pilots spoke Monday of running into relatively heavy anti-aircraft missile fire or spotting unguided surface-to-air missiles; others encountered only light weapons fire.

Pilots from the Enterprise flew about 70 sorties Sunday and into Monday as the U.S. began its attack on Afghanistan, which harbors Osama bin Laden, the chief suspect in the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States.

U.S. officials said the targets included terrorist training camps, military airfields, military aircraft, air defense radars and surface-to-air missile sites.

Cmdr. Andrew L., 38, of Los Altos, Calif., said his target was a terrorist training camp in southern Afghanistan where there were "pretty significant signs of activity," including lights. The F-18 pilot said his mission was aimed at specific targets in the camp, and those were hit.

"There are quite a few other things left," he said. "I wouldn't say that the camp has been taken down by us."

He said that he ran into only light weapons fire.

Pilots also dropped humanitarian packets designed to flutter to the ground to minimize the chance they would injure people. The airdrop of 37,000 kits of food and medicine Sunday was intended to show Afghans that the United States was after terrorists, not ordinary people. Hunger is widespread in Afghanistan, a country devastated by war and drought.

Lt. Cmdr. Greg, a 35-year-old radar intercept operator on an F-14, said his duties included strikes and helping deliver aid.