Uzbek TV
October 26
news conference for media representatives was held at the
US embassy in Uzbekistan on Friday. The US ambassador to Uzbekistan, John Herbst, said the following about the start of ground operations and the situation in the region in general:
[Ambassador Herbst] "Currently, the ground operations which have started in some parts of Afghanistan are successful. Almost all strategically important centres belonging to terrorists have been destroyed. However, how much time will be needed to eliminate them all depends on the progress of combat operations.
"Of course, one should take into account the humanitarian situation that has arisen in Afghanistan. We express our gratitude to Uzbekistan, which is helping us closely in delivering humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
"It is no secret that thousands of refugees are being forced to leave their homes because of the combat operations against terrorists in Afghanistan. According to the ambassador, the US government is holding talks with Afghanistan's neighbours on receiving refugees."
Speaking about the situation in the USA, Mr Herbst said that life was back to normal and the clearing-up work in New York would soon be finished.
For the international community it is now necessary that the antiterrorist coalition should be expanded. Only then will there be no doubt that the joint fight against terrorism, which has become the plague of the 21st century, will yield results in the near future.