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General discusses commando raid
By JOHN J. LUMPKIN
Associated Press Writer
10/20/01
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said Saturday that U.S. special forces "attacked and destroyed targets'' in Afghanistan and the Pentagon showed video of the ground troops clearing an airfield building by building.
Opening a ground war, the forces, including Army Rangers, "are refitting for future actions'' against targets "known to harbor terrorists,'' said Gen. Richard Myers. He said the operations were carried out "without significant interference from Taliban forces.''
The operation also produced the first combat fatalities among U.S. military forces in the two-week-old campaign. Two soldiers died when a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter, prepared for search-and-rescue duty, crashed in neighboring Pakistan.
Myers said it was "absolutely false'' that the craft was shot down, adding, "It's pretty well established that the Taliban lie,'' said Myers.
The U.S. commando forces came across stores of rocket propelled grenades, machine guns and ammunition and destroyed them, Myers said. He said they also inflicted casualties on Taliban forces.
"We met resistance at both objectives, the airfield and the other objective, but I guess you would characterize it as light,'' he added.
The Air Force general said two major objectives were the airfield and a Taliban command and control facility near Kandahar. He said the operation also was intended to gather intelligence and that the military was evaluating it.
Calling the mission "successful,'' Myers said Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar had lived in the command and control building the commandos raided.
"We met resistance at both objectives,'' Myers said. "I guess you would characterize it as light.''
Myers declined to say whether the special forces foray marked the start of the ground war.
He said some U.S. military missions in Afghanistan are "visible'' and others are "invisible.''
Myers also summarized the air strikes from Friday, saying that 100 planes struck 15 planned target areas including anti-aircraft sites.
Myers said that the U.S. also flew four C-17 humanitarian missions, dropping 68,000 rations for a total to date of 575,000 in western Afghanistan and northern alliance territory.
"We are destroying terrorist hideaways. We are slowly but surely encircling the terrorists so that we can bring them to justice,'' President Bush said from an economic summit in Shanghai, China. He said he grieved for the dead soldiers, who "died in a cause that is just and right.''
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Saturday's strikes as an example of special forces seizing an opportunity to lay the groundwork for unraveling the Taliban rather than an expansion of the war effort. The official said there will be many such missions, covert and overt, over months or years.
The helicopter that crashed was flying above Pakistan and ready to support a rescue mission, and had not crossed into Afghanistan, the Pentagon said in a statement.
Defense officials said that in addition to the two deaths, at least two people aboard the chopper were injured in the accident. They declined to say whether there were any American casualties in the commando raid.
The helicopter that crashed in Pakistan was attempting to land when dust or debris kicked up by the rotating blades caused the pilot to lose control, a senior defense official said Saturday. The official had no other details and said the exact cause was still under investigation.
The commandos left Afghan airspace by helicopter and returned to base after several hours inside the country, said a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The strike took place near the Taliban spiritual capital of Kandahar.
Bush also refused to comment on the raid itself, but said of the U.S. operation in general: "I am satisfied we are making very good progress.''
The Taliban's official news agency, Bakhtar, said four U.S. helicopters landed at Kohi Baba, a mountain region northwest of Kandahar.
The area, which had been pounded by U.S. bombs, was empty, the news agency reported. It said that U.S. special forces left without encountering Taliban soldiers.
A spokesman for the Taliban Embassy in Islamabad claimed the American helicopter that crashed in Pakistan was downed by Taliban fighters.
Noor Mohammed, an Afghan refugee arriving in Pakistan, said the raid occurred at Qila Jadeed, a Taliban garrison about 20 miles northwest of Kandahar. He said 25 Taliban fighters were killed.
Saturday's air attacks were carried out by dozens of Navy strike fighters, several Air Force bombers and a few Air Force F-15E fighter-bombers, a senior defense official. The Air Force's AC-130U gunship, which was in action earlier this week, including during Friday night's U.S. Army commando raid, was not scheduled for missions Saturday, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In preparation for ground action, the USS Kitty Hawk, an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean, was loaded with special forces last weekend.
Special operations troops such as the Army's Green Berets perform many missions, including assistance to opposition forces and collection of intelligence. Special forces in southern Afghanistan are supporting the CIA's effort to encourage ethnic Pashtun leaders to break away from the Taliban, a U.S. official said.