Document text
--> --> Bush: `Enemy won't rest' By Matt Kelley Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - President Bush declared today the United States is "on the hunt" in the war against terrorism, and said the aerial assault over Afghanistan won't pause during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. "The enemy won't rest during Ramadan and neither will we," he told reporters at the White House. "We're going to pursue this war until we achieve our objectives." The monthlong holiday begins in mid-November. Bush made his comments as war planners labored to insert additional U.S. special forces troops into Afghanistan in the battle with the Taliban regime that shelters Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that killed thousands. Bush said the Taliban's "air defenses have been completely demolished" in the first four weeks of the air assault. "We're slowly but surely tightening the net to achieve our objectives," he said. He said the American people understand the struggle will be a long one, but said "we're on the hunt." "This is not an instant gratification war," he said. Rumsfeld said Thursday that bad weather and heavy fire at a landing area have prevented some of the U.S. teams from entering Afghanistan in recent days. (See story, Page 5.) Meanwhile, the Pentagon is considering deploying the JSTARS surveillance aircraft, which is used to track forces on the ground over hundreds of miles, senior Pentagon officials said today. JSTARS stands for Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System. The Pentagon also is considering deploying the Global Hawk, an unmanned high-altitude surveillance aircraft that is still undergoing testing. The aircraft was first used in the Persian Gulf War. Two senior military officers, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, said the aircraft was being looked at because of its capability to pinpoint so-called "emerging targets," such as the troops, tanks, or any vehicles on the ground from opposition units. Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said that on Thursday some 79 sorties had been flown, targeting Taliban caves, command-and-control units, and ground forces. Rumsfeld offered no specific numbers for his goal of inserting special forces. But he said he hoped to triple or quadruple the current number in Afghanistan, which totals between 100 and 200. Rumsfeld said the extra troops will help the United States improve its bombing campaign by pinpointing targets and coordinating with forces opposing the Taliban. He said the plan includes placing U.S. troops with a wider ring of rebel forces, in both northern and southern Afghanistan. The United States also is supplying rebels with ammunition and arms "as fast as we can" once liaison forces make sure the supplies will be used and not sold, he said. Rumsfeld revealed that one recent attempt to land U.S. special operations troops was called off after the helicopter-borne troops encountered ground fire, presumably from the Taliban militia that controls most of Afghanistan. Responding to reporters' questions about a U.S. attack Oct. 22 of an Afghan village called Chukar, about 25 miles north of Kandahar, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the village was a Taliban encampment populated by al-Qaida "collaborators" and therefore deemed a legitimate military target. It was attacked at night by an Air Force AC-130 gunship. Officials said the Pentagon is considering setting up a special operations base inside Afghanistan. The Army's special operations soldiers include Special Forces, often called Green Berets, who are trained in unconventional warfare, clandestine reconnaissance and in training and advising rebel forces. Other special operations troops, such as Army Rangers, specialize in airborne assaults behind enemy lines such as the nighttime attack Oct. 20 on a Taliban-controlled airfield in southern Afghanistan. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing