U.S., allied special forces reported in Afghanistan

09/29/2001

By G. ROBERT HILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – Amid reports that allied special forces are already in Afghanistan, President Bush said Friday that "We're in hot pursuit" of those believed to be responsible for the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

He declined to discuss any of the military operations going on but reiterated his determination to rid Afghanistan of Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network – with or without the cooperation of the ruling Taliban regime.

"Sometimes, people will be able to see what we do on the television screens. Other times, the American people won't be able to see what we're doing," Mr. Bush said as he began a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II. "But make no mistake about it, we're in hot pursuit."

The Pentagon declined to comment Friday on reports in Pakistani newspapers and USA Today that elite U.S. troops have been in Afghanistan to search for Mr. bin Laden, whom the president has identified as the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Earlier news reports from London have said that British special forces have been in Afghanistan.

On Friday, an administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that U.S. and British forces were in Afghanistan, preparing for possible military action.

At the White House, press secretary Ari Fleischer echoed the Pentagon.

"I will never comment on any military operations that may or may not be under way," he said.

Gary Seideman, an Army special-forces veteran, said that during the Gulf War, elite troops were in place long before the start of the ground war. And the Iraqis knew it, "but they didn't find us," he said.

Mr. Seideman – now an executive with The Richmond Group International, an investigative firm that deals in crisis management and counterterrorism – said special-forces teams could perform a variety of tasks in Afghanistan, including "direct action" and reconnaissance – serving as the "eyes on the ground to verify what the eyes in the sky say."

The president, who headed to the Camp David retreat for the third straight weekend since the Sept. 11 attacks, met Friday in the Oval Office with King Abdullah in a continuing effort to rally world support for the new war against terrorism.

Mr. Bush has paid particular attention to Jordan and other Arab states because of their strategic locations and resources. Again Friday, he carefully defined the mission.

"I have assured his majesty that our war is against evil, not against Islam," Mr. Bush said with the king at his side.

"There are thousands of Muslims who proudly call themselves Americans, and they know what I know," he added, "that the Muslim faith is based upon peace and love and compassion – the exact opposite of the teachings of ... [Mr. bin Laden's] al-Qaeda organization, which is based upon evil and hate and destruction."

King Abdullah pledged Jordan's "full, unequivocal support."

Despite reports that he may have had concerns about the scope of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, the king remained resolute.

"It's in difficult times like this that true friends must stand with each other," he said. "We'll be by your side. We'll be there to support you. And I'm here to see what we can do to help."

Mr. Bush again welcomed the support of Saudi Arabia, which he said was "helping stabilize Pakistan" and aiding U.S. military planning.

"I am most pleased with the cooperation we're getting in the Middle East," he said.

King Abdullah added that he expected that "the majority of Arabs and Muslims will band together with our colleagues all over the world to be to put an end to this horrible scourge of international terrorism."

"You'll see a united front," he predicted.

Mr. Bush will meet with more world leaders next week, including the emir of Qatar in the Persian Gulf and the president of Georgia in Central Asia.

He'll also drop by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to thank workers for their rescue and cleanup efforts at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Mr. Fleischer said the president will begin to focus more on the details of an economic stimulus package to generally boost the nation's sagging economy, as well as provide some relief to the thousands of airline employees and others who have lost their jobs after the attacks.

"The president is taking a look at a lot of options," Mr. Fleischer said. "There are a lot of people in this country who are hurting, who are out of jobs and who need help."

Some members of Congress have suggested a $21 billion package to assist the newly unemployed, and others have envisioned an overall program of about $100 billion in tax cuts and other stimulus measures.

Mr. Fleischer said the president had not yet settled on any numbers and was still consulting with Congress.

Congress also is still grappling with appropriations for the new fiscal year beginning Monday, although an extension was approved until Oct. 16.

Mr. Bush remains determined to win passage of his education reforms and energy program.

The president plans to confer with the top four congressional leaders Tuesday in what is becoming a weekly meeting. At the table from the Senate will be Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss.; and from the House, Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo.

In addition, the administration has been briefing lawmakers privately in various forums on Capitol Hill on issues arising from the terrorist attacks.

"It is very hard to fight a conventional war – a guerrilla war with conventional forces, and we understand that," Mr. Bush said Friday. "That's why I have explained to the American people that the new war on terror is going to be a different war.

"It will be fought on a variety of fronts," he said. "It will be fought on a financial front. ... It will require the best of intelligence and the sharing of intelligence. There may or may not be a conventional component to it."

Staff writer Ed Timms in Dallas contributed to this report.