Special operations troops now aboard carrier; armed unmanned spy plane used in Afghanistan

By MATT KELLEY
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – U.S. airborne broadcasts and leaflet drops inside Afghanistan have scored some successes in encouraging Taliban fighters to defect or surrender, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday.

"The hope is that those Taliban people will in fact move over and support the northern alliance and the tribes in the south," Rumsfeld said in a CNN interview. "That is something that is taking place as we speak."

He was asked whether it was likely that U.S. troops would be on the ground to accept Taliban surrenders. He replied that it was far more likely that defecting Taliban troops would join opposition forces like the northern alliance.

Rumsfeld also said he feared that terrorist networks in the future will use chemical, biological or radiological weapons. He said some already are seeking such weapons through their associations with certain nations, which he did not identify.

Gen. Richard Myers, speaking at a Pentagon briefing, told reporters that the military campaign – now well into its second week – has "made progress in destroying or degrading the Taliban infrastructure in setting the conditions for future operations."

The four-star chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday's airstrikes were handled mostly by carrier-based jets, which struck in more than a dozen target areas.

He said they hit terrorist camps and forces as well as Taliban airfields; command-and-control facilities; troops and their garrison sites; and missile, vehicle and armor storage and maintenance areas.

Myers aid a small number of F-15E strike Eagles took part, as well as long-range bombers and the AC-130 turboprop gunship. The general said many of the aircraft came from the USS Theodore Roosevelt, one of the four aircraft carriers now in the region, but Myers did not say from which land bases in the region the F-15E strikes originated.

Meanwhile, U.S. special operations troops trained for covert missions are in position aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier, ready for search-and-destroy missions in Afghanistan, military officials say. U.S. radio broadcasts are telling the Taliban: Surrender or die.

The helicopter-borne special forces were put aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in the Indian Ocean several days ago, military officials said on condition of anonymity. That puts them within striking range of Afghanistan, home to terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden, his al-Qaida network and the Taliban regime that shelters them.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has said that special operations forces would play a large part in America's military response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He and other U.S. officials have declined to discuss when such operations would be launched, however.

Meanwhile, two defense officials confirmed reports that an unmanned American spy plane armed with missiles has been used for the first time in combat missions over Afghanistan.

The low-flying RQ-1 Predator, previously used only for reconnaissance, is carrying Hellfire anti-tank missiles, two officials said on condition of anonymity.

Several top military officials have said publicly in recent days that upcoming operations in Afghanistan will include both visible and invisible elements.

Several days before the United States and Britain began airstrikes in Afghanistan on Oct. 7, a top administration official said some U.S. special operations troops had slipped in to conduct scouting missions.

The Kitty Hawk had left Japan without its full complement of airplanes, leaving its flight deck open for use as a secure, floating base for special forces raids.

The officials speaking Wednesday, who offered no details on the mission, cautioned against the interpretation that the troops now aboard the Kitty Hawk were necessarily about to enter combat.

U.S. military radio broadcasts into Afghanistan by Air Force EC-130E Commando Solo aircraft are warning the ruling Taliban they will be destroyed not only by U.S. bombs and missiles but also by American helicopters and ground troops.

"You will be attacked by land, sea and air ... Resistance is futile," one message says in two of the local Afghan languages, according to transcripts provided by the Pentagon. "Our goals will be achieved, if not willingly, then by overwhelming force."

"You have only one choice: Surrender now and we will give you a second chance. We will let you live. If you surrender, no harm will come to you," another message said.

The messages also gave precise directions to troops on the ground: "When you decide to surrender, approach United States forces with your hands in the air. Sling your weapon across your back, muzzle towards the ground. Remove your magazine and expel any rounds. Doing this is your only chance of survival."

The Pentagon has not acknowledged the presence of any U.S. ground forces in Afghanistan. Officials have said for weeks that troops would be needed to root out leaders of bin Laden's al-Qaida network.

President Bush, traveling to a conference in China, said the war on terrorism may take a long time.

"You mark my words: People are going to get tired of the war on terrorism. And by the way, it may take more than two years," he said in an interview with Asian news editors.

AP-WS-10-18-01 1452EDT