U.S. military might moves closer to Afghanistan

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, SEPT. 22. The Bush administration is moving additional military and operational hardware closer to Afghanistan. The Defence Secretary, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld, has signed orders for sending more support aircraft to the area.

As the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, left on Friday for Camp David, it seemed the country was getting set for confrontation against terrorism on many fronts. On the military front, the main operation is expected to be staged by elite commandos with full air support.

The Pentagon has sent at least three aircraft carriers to the Persian Gulf and beyond; and the B-52s, which have seen action for the last 40 years, have also left their home base. The B-1 bomber has been pressed into service and surveillance planes and the huge refuelling tankers, RC 135s, have also been sent to the area.

According to a report, Washington has sought Islamabad's permission to station some B-52s in Quetta. In the past, the B- 52s, which have been used for both conventional bombing and launching of the cruise missiles, have flown out of either bases in West Asia or Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. One estimate is that there are at least 225 planes in and around the staging area.

Thousands of marines and army personnel have also been sent overseas. In the last two days, the top military brass here have been saying that the strikes could include the use of regular ground troops. What is being stressed is that the force is not meant to strike just the Saudi dissident, Osama bin Laden's hideouts and training quarters in Afghanistan, but any place in West Asia should a determination be made.

It has now become almost a routine for the top officials at the Pentagon not to comment on anything that even remotely sounds ``operational.'' Led by the Defence Secretary, the Pentagon is trying to ensure that the media does not speculate on the basis of what is being said or omitted during routine press briefings.

Mr. Bush, who will be at Camp David this weekend, will be having his National Security Council meeting via teleconference, the White House has said. Senior administration officials say that as part of a wider effort against terrorism, Mr. Bush will soon sign an executive order that would not only name the worldwide terror outfits but also freeze their assets in this country. Allies will be expected to do likewise.

Over the weekend, Mr. Bush will also sign a $ 15 billion relief package for the airlines industry. The measure was passed by the Senate on Friday.

Reuters reports from Ismailia, Egypt:

British warships cross Suez

A convoy of 13 British naval vessels crossed the Suez Canal amid tight security, witnesses said, as part of a Naval Task Force, heading for exercises in the Gulf. The ships travelled through the canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, escorted by ships from Egypt's Suez Canal Authority.

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