Posted on 11/01/2001 3:14:27 PM PST by blam
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 02 2001
Rumsfeld says troops to go in 'within days'
FROM ROLAND WATSON IN WASHINGTON
HUNDREDS of American special forces will be dropped into Afghanistan within days as part of a switch in US tactics. The units will work with Northern Alliance forces outside Kabul and other strategic northern cities as the coalition campaign intensifies.
Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, denied that the military had won greater latitude to pursue a more vigorous campaign after diplomatic efforts to form a successor regime apparently stalled.
But the heightened bombing of frontline Taleban forces protecting Kabul and Mazar-i Sharif, the imminent introduction of more US troops and increased co-operation with the Northern Alliance appear to mark the prelude to ground offensives.
Until Wednesday, American bombing runs had largely avoided frontline Taleban positions, concentrating on military installations and infrastructure. Since then, the US has increased the bombing of Taleban troops protecting Kabul and Mazar-i Sharif from 50 per cent to 80 per cent of its missions. Mr Rumsfeld said that figure would increase again when the incoming special forces improved the targeting information.
Washington’s initial concern about allowing the Northern Alliance a free march on Kabul also appear to have been eased. The Northern Alliance has said it would make no moves to seize power and that only a broad-based successor regime would work.
Mr Rumsfeld said there had been plans to increase the 100 or so special forces already on the ground in the past few days, but that they had been thwarted, largely by the weather. On one occasion a helicopter about to drop a unit had come under fire from the ground and had abandoned its mission, he said.
But Mr Rumsfeld said the troops would be landing on Afghan soil soon. “We have a number of teams cocked and ready to go. I expect it to happen in the days ahead,” he said, adding that he would like to see the number of special forces on the ground increase “three or four times”.
For the first time yesterday, Washington moved to address the mounting concerns about US military tactics and the lack of concrete achievement to date. Republican Senators and Pentagon advisers have complained that the campaign lacks clout and is being hampered by the political requirements of ensuring that all ethnic Afghans are signed up to an inclusive successor regime.
But Mr Rumsfeld insisted that the Pentagon had made “measurable progress” towards all its aims. He also tried to put the war in an historical context, stating that it had taken the US four months to respond to Pearl Harbor and three-and-a-half years to defeat Japan in the Second World War. “We are still at the very early stages of this conflict,” he said
Is this a reference to McCainiac? What about all the screeching from the left? Can you fair and balanced? I thought not.
Also a good point. Having more Special Forces guys on the ground will accelerate that process quite a bit.
Best we can probably do in the short term is continue the air drops. They've put in over a million food packets so far...
I think it is called heuristics.
I agree. With Clinton, we (you and I) had to keep our guard up every day. I actually feel safer even with all these problems.
There isn't anyone in the world that can do anything about it known or unknown.
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