GlobalSecurity.org In the News

Airplanes and missiles being used in Afghanistan

PETER JENNINGS, anchor: The Pentagon said today that US Special Operations aircraft attacked the Taliban overnight in Afghanistan. This is the first acknowledgement that special forces are operating in the country. The US has several new or refined weapons systems at work in the field, and ABC's John McWethy has the details at the Pentagon. John:

JOHN McWETHY reporting: Peter, it's an airplane that the US is adding to the mix, at least in part because of a hoped for psychological impact on Taliban troops. (VO) The AC-130 gunship has far more firepower than a tank. In the last 24 hours two of them ripped into a Taliban military complex near Kandahar. As troops and vehicles made a run for it, the gunships hit them again. Officials say the aircraft will be in action again tonight. The gunship is also useful for surveillance with its advanced telescopic night scope. A small part of an enormous new intelligence effort aimed at finding individuals in a population of millions.

Mr. JOHN PIKE (Director, GlobalSecurity.org): American commanders are going to be able to see the enemy. The enemy won't know that the American commanders are watching them.

McWETHY: Among other aircraft is the Predator, unmanned aerial vehicle. It is already quietly circling potential Taliban and al-Qaeda targets 24 hours a day looking for movement. A secret CIA version is armed with Hellfire missiles. Sources say it has already attacked at least one small convoy believed to be carrying Taliban leaders. The US is also rushing a new unmanned spy plane called Global Hawk to the region, even though it is still in development. It operates from the edge of space, can both watch and listen for enemy activity. Along with surveillance teams on the ground and spy satellites, this is part of a multibillion dollar effort to find a few people in one of the world's poorest countries, Peter.

JENNINGS: Thank you, John. John McWethy at the Pentagon.