Military

DATE= 2/21/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= AFGHAN / PENTAGON (L ONLY)

NUMBER=2-286730

BYLINE= ALEX BELIDA

DATELINE=PENTAGON

VOICED AT:

INTRO: U-S Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld describes conditions inside Afghanistan as troubling and says a variety of options are under discussion to beef up security. More from V-O-A Pentagon Correspondent Alex Belida.

TEXT: There are still pockets of Taleban and al-Qaida. There are rival anti-Taleban forces. There are criminals, including drug traffickers. And Iran has been carrying out what the Pentagon terms unsettling activities, including gunrunning.

All in all, says Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, it is not a pretty picture.

And it is why he says even though most of the fighting is over, a variety of options is under discussion for bolstering security inside Afghanistan, including a massive American troop build-up.

///RUMSFELD ACTUALITY///

The United States could go in and just police the whole country with lots of troops; say, for the sake of argument, 20(,000), 25(,000), 30,000. Another country could go in to do that. Another way it could be done is one country could go to one city and do it and another country could go to another city and do it.

///END ACTUALITY///

Mr. Rumsfeld says yet another way to enhance security would be to train an Afghan force -- an idea he says is preferred by interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai.

///RUMSFELD ACTUALITY///

Now which way is the best way? I don't know. Which way is the fastest way? I don't know. Which one would be the most cost-effective? I don't know. Those are things that are being discussed.

///END ACTUALITY///

Mr. Rumsfeld makes clear, however, that he favors assisting Afghan authorities in establishing a permanent national security force as opposed to any build-up of U-S or international peacekeeping forces.

///RUMSFELD ACTUALITY///

To the extent we can put our effort and time and money into creating something that lives there and is going to stay there rather than something that's temporary and is going to be pulled out at some point with the risk of injecting an instability back into the equation, my view is that would be preferable.

///END ACTUALITY///

Mr. Rumsfeld dismisses reports of disagreements within the Bush administration over how best to improve security in Afghanistan.

The New York Times is reporting the State Department favors an enlarged international peace force, which currently numbers some four thousand troops.

Mr. Rumsfeld's comments come as a new analysis by the Central Intelligence Agency warns Afghanistan could fall back into violent chaos because of tensions among rival warlords. (Signed)

NEB/BEL/MAR