Military

DATE=1/26/2002

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-285697

TITLE= AFGHAN / FRANKS (L-UP)

BYLINE=AYAZ GUL

DATELINE=ISLAMABAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

/// EDS: UPDATES CR 2-285696 WITH ADDED ACT BY FRANKS ON THE CONFLICT BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN.///

INTRO: The commander of U-S forces in Afghanistan, General Tommy Franks, is in the region and says the hunt for Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden and the ousted

Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar continues. Ayaz Gul reports from

Islamabad.

TEXT: Speaking to reporters in neighboring Pakistan, General Franks said

that he does not know the whereabouts of Mr. Bin Laden and the

ousted Taleban, Mullah Omar. But the American General says the top priority

of his intelligence experts is to use the information collected during the

search process to prevent further terrorist attacks around the world.

///FIRST FRANKS ACT///

The business that we have been about is the destruction of the Al-Qaida

network, the destruction of terrorist organizations with global reach of

which Al-Qaida is one. Work remains to be done and among that work will be

to find the leadership of these terrorist organizations (but that's) not

the very first priority for us. Obviously what we want to do is that we

want to use the intelligence information we are able to get, first, to

prevent future terrorist attacks. That's our first order.

///END ACT///

General Franks said that deploying large numbers of American ground troops

in Afghanistan will not have increased chances of capturing Mr. Bin Laden

or Taleban leader Mullah Omar. The general indicated that the United States

is watchful of repeating the mistakes of the former Soviet Union in the

1980s, when the presence of a large number of Soviet forces provoked

widespread Afghan resistance.

///SECOND FRANKS ACT///

I think the tactics in this operation were just the right tactics. I

believe one does not want to commit mistakes that have been committed by

other people in the past. I believe one does want to cooperate with

cooperative allies in pursuit of military objectives. And I believe that

those are the characteristics of this particular work.

///END ACT///

Suspected terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and leader of the ousted

Taleban, Mullah Omar have been at large since Afghan opposition forces

backed by U-S military air strikes toppled the radical Islamic Taleban in

November.

Nearly four-thousand U-S troops are engaged in operations against surviving

members of the Taleban and Al-Qaida network in Afghanistan.

Many Al-Qaida fighters have reportedly moved to neighboring Pakistan and Iran, but General Franks says he will not "speculate about the possibility of military action across the Afghan border".

Meanwhile, the American general says that he will not let a standoff

between India and Pakistan disrupt his mission in Afghanistan.

/// FRANKS ACT ///

As you know we continue to operate search and rescue efforts out of here

(Pakistan), we continue to use airfields inside Pakistan as part of

Operation Enduring Freedom. I have not and will not move our forces away

from Pakistan as we move forward with this.

//END ACT//

India and Pakistan have been locked in a military standoff along their

common border since a deadly attack on the Indian parliament last month. India

blames Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatists.

General Franks says that U-S forces will continue to do their work in cooperation with Pakistan. He says the United States remains hopeful that diplomacy solves the crisis between India and Pakistan. (Signed)

NEB/AG/RH