Military

DATE=3/25/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=PENTAGON/AFGHANISTAN (L ONLY)

NUMBER=2-314481

BYLINE=ALEX BELIDA

DATELINE=PENTAGON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Elements of a 22-hundred-strong Marine expeditionary unit currently aboard ships in the Gulf will be sent into Afghanistan to participate in operations there. More from V-O-A Correspondent Alex Belida at the Pentagon.

TEXT: General Richard Myers, Chairman of the U-S military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the decision to bolster the 11-thousand troops now in Afghanistan by sending in a Marine contingent reflects a desire to improve security ahead of planned elections.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, General Myers says another reason for dispatching the additional force is to assist in efforts to tackle the remaining pockets of Taleban and al-Qaida resistance in the country.

General Myers does not say how many Marines from the 22-hundred strong force now aboard amphibious vessels in the Gulf will go ashore, nor will he specify when they will arrive or how long they will stay.

But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld tells reporters at the same briefing the effort to eliminate al-Qaida is going well.

///RUMSFELD ACTUALITY///

It's going well. There's just no question but that added pressure is being put al-Qaida network in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere around the world and that's a good thing.

///END ACTUALITY///

However Mr. Rumsfeld declines to say whether U-S forces are any closer to capturing fugitive al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan have stepped up anti-Taleban and anti-al-Qaida operations in the mountainous border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of Operation Mountain Storm.

The Marine unit now scheduled to head to Afghanistan has been trained for special operations missions. The Marines are backed by attack helicopters and Harrier fighter jets. (Signed)

NEB/BEL/MEM/PT