U.S. troops in Afghanistan able to avoid harm's way, so far

By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – After nearly six weeks of war in Afghanistan, no American commandos have died while fighting alongside anti-Taliban forces, sometimes under heavy fire.

Overall, four accidental deaths have been reported, all outside Afghanistan, since the U.S. campaign began Oct. 7.

President Bush launched airstrikes after the Taliban refused to surrender terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, sought in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Hundreds of special forces troops were sent inside Afghanistan to hunt down bin Laden and the leadership of his al-Qaida terrorist network and to help opposition forces oust the Taliban.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Friday lauded the U.S. secret soldiers, telling reporters that when they encountered situations in which they were nearly overrun, they were able to beat back their attackers.

"They have gone into places and met resistance and dealt with it," Rumsfeld said. He did not specify how many combat incidents U.S. ground forces had encountered.

The defense chief later said, "To my knowledge, there have been no casualties, dead or wounded, on the part of the special forces or the special operations Americans who are functioning in the country."

Asked about the covert missions, Rumsfeld said: "They are looking for information. They're interdicting roads. They're killing Taliban that won't surrender and al-Qaida that are trying to move from one place to another."

The U.S. forces have guided warplanes to strike Taliban positions, helping push them from much of northern Afghanistan and out of the capital of Kabul and other major urban areas. The troops are also searching for places where transport aircraft can land supplies as operations continue, Rumsfeld said.

Among the incidents involving U.S. troops:

– Two Army Rangers died Oct. 19 in the crash of their Black Hawk helicopter in Pakistan, and three other crewmen were injured.

– An Air Force master sergeant died and an Army soldier was severely injured in separate incidents involving vehicles early in October. Both were in locations outside Afghanistan, Pentagon officials have said.

– A sailor fell overboard from an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea Nov. 7. The fireman apprentice was never found and has been declared dead.

– Four crewmen were injured Nov. 2 when their helicopter crash-landed inside Afghanistan as they were attempting to rescue a sick U.S. soldier. The wounded crewmen, whose injuries were described by the Pentagon as non-life-threatening, were pulled out of the country by an accompanying chopper.

– Two soldiers suffered broken bones and some 23 others suffered "very minor jump injuries" during the Oct. 19 commando raids on sites near the southern city of Kandahar, Rumsfeld said.

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