WASHINGTON (AP) - Victory in Afghanistan will require putting troops on the ground in addition to bombing terrorist and Taliban targets from the air, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday.Rumsfeld made no explicit reference to U.S. ground forces but stressed that warplanes alone - while effective so far in bombing buildings, tanks and troops - will not be enough to rid Afghanistan of al-Qaida, the shadowy ring of terrorists believed to be behind the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Washington Post reported on its Web site Thursday night that a handful of U.S. special forces were operating in southern Afghanistan in support of the CIA, marking the beginning of the ground phase of the campaign. Defense and intelligence officials would not comment on the report.
Appearing with Rumsfeld, Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said all members of the armed forces must understand the gravity of the challenge they face in Afghanistan. (Read photo caption below)
On Wednesday, U.S. officials disclosed that an unspecified number of special operations forces had been positioned aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean, and were ready for combat.
Rumsfeld has left unclear the exact role of U.S. special operations forces in Afghanistan. Some believe it could be limited to training and giving other assistance to the northern alliance and other opposition military forces now attempting to take advantage of the daily U.S. bombing of Taliban military forces.
Others believe it will require - and may already include - the insertion of Army Rangers or other special operations forces to conduct search-and-destroy missions by helicopter and on foot.
Myers declined to comment on an Iranian news report that U.S. special operations troops were now on the ground in Afghanistan.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, right, looks on as Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers answers a reporter's question during their Pentagon news conference Thursday, Oct. 18, 2001. Rumsfeld said Thursday U.S. airborne broadcasts and leaflet drops inside Afghanistan have scored some successes in encouraging Taliban fighters to defect or surrender. (AP Photo/Heesoon Yim)