U.S. fighter jets target troops, caves in hunt for bin Laden

12/08/2001

By ANDREW ENGLAND

Associated Press Writer

ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT - Despite the fall of the last Taliban stronghold, U.S. jets continue to fly dozens of combat sorties over Afghanistan, targeting caves, troops and armaments, a Navy spokesman said Saturday.

Lt. John Oliveira, spokesman for the USS Theodore Roosevelt, said the ship had launched its normal number of sorties Friday and Saturday despite the fall of the southern city of Kandahar.

The city's surrender was "clearly a milestone, but not the end," he said.

Oliveira declined to give specific details about the number of sorties being flown, but the Roosevelt's commanding officer, Capt. Richard O'Hanlon, has said 60 to 80 combat sorties are being flown each day.

It is necessary to keep up the level of combat flights in order to support troops on the ground and to hammer at Taliban and al-Qaida forces that still provide resistance, Oliveira said.

The al-Qaida network, led by Osama bin Laden, is blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. The U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan began Oct. 7 after the Taliban administration refused to hand the Saudi militant over.

The Roosevelt is one of three Navy battle groups in the Arabian Sea. The other two are led by the carriers USS Kitty Hawk and USS Carl Vinson.

Kandahar, the spiritual home of the Taliban, was the focus of intense bombing from Roosevelt-based jets during the past week. U.S. fighter jets are now likely to concentrate more on supporting troops on the ground, including the more than 1,000 U.S. Marines, as the hunt for bin Laden and al-Qaida members continues.