Associated Press
October 30
en. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. operation in Afghanistan, said Tuesday that the United States
was committed to keeping its anti-terrorism campaign going as long as it takes to destroy Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.
At a news conference in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, Franks also said the U.S. operation against the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan had not reached a stalemate.
``We want this operation to be measured, we want this operation to be mature, we want this operation to focus on targets in target sense. We want to conduct this operation on our timeline, and I think we are on the timeline,'' Franks said.
Franks was in Uzbekistan where an estimated 1,000 soldiers with the Army's 10th Mountain Division have been deployed at an air base at Khanabad, 90 miles from the northern Afghan border.
``The overall operation around the globe is to disconnect, to destroy terrorist networks with global reach,'' Franks said.
The goal of the operation in Afghanistan, he said, was ``the destruction of the Taliban leadership'' that is providing shelter for bin Laden's Al-Qaida network.
Franks strongly denied suggestions that the U.S. campaign was stalled, with air raids not achieving their goal of softening the Taliban's defenses and the opposition northern alliance failing to march on key cities. Commanders and political leaders of the alliance have criticized Washington for not hitting the ruling Taliban harder.
``We are committed to this as long as it takes, and so in my view it is not at all stalemate,'' he said. ``I can tell you that my boss, the secretary of defense and the president have not indicated to me any frustration about the pace of this activity.''
Franks also declined to support speculation that U.S. attacks were aimed at making it easier for the opposition to advance on the Afghan capital Kabul or the strategic northern town of Mazar-e-Sharif.
``We've taken a decision that says we will remain focused on our objectives and we will retain the initiative rather than providing a specific focus on a specific area,'' the general said.
Franks said there had been discussions with opposition forces active both in northern Afghanistan and in the south near Kabul. But he would not provide specifics on U.S. military support for alliance forces.
``Our purpose is to satisfy ourselves that each of the groups we cooperate with has mutual and shared interest with us, and the needs of each group will vary by group and our support ... will also vary by group,'' he said.
Some opposition forces might ``contribute directly to our core objective,'' and others may assist in opening a land bridge to provide humanitarian aid, he added in a potential reference to the northern supply route that largely depends on the opposition seizing Mazar-e-Sharif.
Franks said he had a ``full, free, frank discussion'' with Uzbek President Islam Karimov and the Uzbek defense and foreign ministers.
Uzbekistan has gone further than any of the ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia in helping the United States in the anti-terror campaign, putting the Khanabad base at Washington' disposal and opening its air space to U.S. planes.
Franks refused to disclose the number of U.S. troops in Uzbekistan or the duration of their planned stay but indicated their mission may ``change day to day and week to week.''