19 October 2001
U.S. Aircraft Continue to Pound Targets in Afghanistan
(Defense official declines comment on possible ground forces)(550)
By David Denny
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- More than 90 coalition aircraft struck 18 planned
targets inside Afghanistan October 18, according to a Defense
Department spokesman.
Rear Admiral John D. Stufflebeem, briefing journalists at the Pentagon
October 19, said the targets included airfields, air defense sites
(along with radar and armor located at the sites), ammunition in
vehicle storage depots, and military training facilities, including
vehicles and buildings.
More than 90 aircraft were used, of which about 75 were carrier-based
planes and about 10 were land-based bombers, Stufflebeem said. Fewer
than five were land-based strike aircraft. Also, three C-17s dropped
52,000 humanitarian daily rations by air. That brings the total to
date to more than 500,000 daily rations, he said.
Stufflebeem began his briefing by saying that he would not discuss any
operational details about U.S. ground forces. "If or when they are on
the ground, being there would make them the most vulnerable
individuals engaged in this campaign. And I will not discuss any
matters that could possibly put our people at risk," he said.
In response to a question concerning a Taliban claim that the regime
had suffered no casualties among its leadership to date, Stufflebeem
said he had no information on that point.
"We are confident that their communications have been severed, and
therefore I'm not confident that they necessarily know all that they
think they know," he added.
Asked how that might affect al-Qaida operations around the world,
Stufflebeem replied, "Afghanistan has been the most successful and
prolific haven for al-Qaida. We're going after al-Qaida. We're going
to bring them to justice or bring justice to them. With that haven
being disrupted or, if necessary, destroyed, that has got to
complicate al-Qaida's worldwide operations."
Asked what capabilities special operations units have that make them
important now in the military effort, Stufflebeem said they have "a
tremendous capability in intelligence gathering," as well as in
training others, especially in small-unit military tactics, where they
can be a "force multiplier."
And, he said, they are "experts in small-unit tactics and
direct-actions warfare."
Questioned as to why the U.S. bombing effort hasn't done more to aid
Northern Alliance forces near the key airport outside Mazar-i-Sharif,
Stufflebeem replied, "When the time would appear right, we'll do what
is necessary to get rid of those military portions of the Taliban that
may or may not be directly against Northern Alliance [forces]. We're
working on our campaign on our timeline for our specific goals and
objectives. We are not concerned at this point, necessarily, [with]
how that may appear to those in a particular spot on the ground."
As to the role that dropping of leaflets in Taliban territory may be
playing, Stufflebeem said, "the leaflets are part of our capability or
part of our arsenal, and they're providing instructions to those
forces for their safety as well as for ours." Later he added, "We're
hearing anecdotal reports that there are some who are switching
sides," and suggested that leafleting has played a part in bringing
that about.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
