Rumsfeld: Some U.S. troops are in
Afghanistan as liaisons with Alliance
By Sandra Jontz, Washington
bureau
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged Tuesday that a
"marginal number" of U.S. ground forces are in Afghanistan to work as
"liaison" soldiers with the Northern Alliance and provide better targeting for
U.S. airstrikes.
"Uniformed military personnel are assisting [the Northern Alliance] with
resupplies, targeting and providing the kind of capabilities and information key to
improving the effectiveness of the air campaign," Rumsfeld said.
But he left the press briefing room before reporters could ask if his acknowledgement
places troops in danger.
Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem, reluctant to speculate as to why the secretary made the
remarks, said servicemembers assume an element of risk during war.
"But it’s a measured risk," Stufflebeem said. "The American public
can rest assured that we’re not doing things blindly … and we’re not doing
things willy-nilly."
Great Britain pledged increased support for Operation Enduring Freedom, the name given
to the U.S.-led campaign to stamp out terrorism, the al-Qaida network and
Afghanistan’s Taliban regime.
British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon joined Rumsfeld at the Pentagon to tell reporters
again that Great Britain has pledged an aircraft carrier, its battle group and additional
1,200 forces.
U.S. forces upped the ante a bit Tuesday in the bombing campaign in Afghanistan,
boosting the number of sorties to 95, said Victoria Clarke, assistant secretary of defense
for Public Affairs.
Monday’s and Tuesday’s attacks focused on Taliban and al-Qaida caves, Taliban
military and command-and-control sites, and emerging targets such as armored vehicles and
troop concentrations in central and eastern Afghanistan, primarily in areas of Mazar-i
Sharif, Kabul, Jalalabad, Konduz and Bamian, she said.
Forces hit 13 planned target areas using 70 aircraft, of which 50 to 55 were
carrier-based, and six to eight were each land-based and long-range bombers, Stufflebeem
said.
Forces did not hit the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in the southern region of the
country, Clarke said.
The military won’t be deterred by Monday’s announcement by U.S. Attorney
General John Ashcroft of the threat of the possibility of another terrorist attack within
the week, and that the attack might be a retaliation of the bombings in Afghanistan, she
said.
"Our campaign is going to be to pursue according to what our objectives are,"
she said. "As we’ve said all along, what we are trying is to create certain
kinds of conditions [that will root out the Taliban and the terrorists.] We’ll
continue to pursue our objectives."
The Pentagon maintains it will not let up on the airstrikes, despite worldwide
criticism that the bombing campaign is lasting too long, and that United States should
consider a respite during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in mid-November.
"First and foremost, we are extremely sensitive to the concerns and interests of
the Muslim community, but history is [filled] with examples of Muslims fighting during
Ramadan," Clarke said.
While Hoon said Monday that a bombing pause is under consideration, he also said that
the military objectives are paramount.
Hoon and Rumsfeld also mentioned growing disapproval against the Taliban by the Afghan
people, who don’t approve of the regime’s use of mosques, university dorms and
civilian houses as hideaways for people, ammunition and equipment.
Rumsfeld pledged the United States would not target residential areas.
"They cannot do battle from within the mosques," Rumsfeld said. "They
are going to have to show themselves. … When they do, that’s when we’ll
have our opportunity."
Clarke said there was no tension between Hoon and Rumsfeld, who met Tuesday to discuss
the war in Afghanistan and a modicum of other issues like NATO.
U.S. forces also have been dropping 2,000-pound bunker-busting bombs in hopes of
demolishing the expansive cave system the Taliban and al-Qaida soldiers use to shield
themselves and their weapons.
Also, U.S. pilots continued the mission of dropping humanitarian daily rations, which
to date total nearly 1 million, Clarke said.
Pilots also continued dropping leaflets explaining the bombing and humanitarian
missions, and broadcasting that information via loudspeakers, she said.
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