November 22, 2001	Thursday	Ramazan 6, 1422

TASHKENT, Nov 21: The top general in charge of US operations in Afghanistan said Wednesday the United States could soon deploy ground forces in addition to the special troops already stationed in Afghanistan.

“All forms of military forces stay on the table and possibly one or other type of forces will be deployed in Afghanistan,” said General Tommy Franks, head of the US Central Command.

“Concerning what I call conventional forces ... we have not taken that off the table,” said Franks, who during his three-day stay in Uzbekistan visited a former Soviet base where some 2,000 US soldiers are stationed.

Franks said that “we may or we may not” introduce ground forces to flush out suspected terrorists from the remaining Taliban strongholds.

“We may introduce small numbers of ground forces,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon said around 2,300 US Marines were awaiting orders to back up other US forces operating in Afghanistan.

Franks said he had also held talks with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and visited opposition Northern Alliance positions in Bagram, near Kabul, becoming the most senior US commander to visit Afghanistan.

The US general divulged few details of his talks with Rakhmonov, saying only that the two discussed the US use of military bases and landing strips in the former Soviet republic that neighbours Afghanistan to the northeast — close to the last Taliban stronghold of Kunduz.

The two sides have reached a tentative agreement of US use of Tajik airstrips, although officials in Washington note that most facilities in Tajikistan are disrepair and would have to be rebuilt first.

Franks said he was satisfied with his Bagram visit, saying that he came to make sure that US special forces were getting along with the Northern Alliance commanders on the battlefield.

“I am not at all surprised with how quickly the Taliban regime is falling,” said Franks, while stressing that the United States had no plans to let up its campaign after the opposition’s “good progress” over the past 10 days.

Franks added that he had already held talks with Uzbek Defence Minister Kadyr Gulyamov and would hold another meeting with him on Wednesday before leaving for a tour of the Gulf states.

Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic which neighbours Afghanistan, has agreed to open its airspace and bases to US non-combat operations in Afghanistan.

British plan stalled: Long-expected plans for a mass deployment of British troops in Afghanistan appeared to have stalled amid reports of opposition to the move by the Northern Alliance and the United States.

For the last week, 6,000 British soldiers have been on 48-hour standby to be sent into the country. International Development Secretary Clare Short warned more delay in the deployment of British and other foreign troops could cause a humanitarian crisis if aid agencies were not given protection in delivering relief supplies.

Her comments were the first acknowledgement by a government minister that troops had been set to go into Afghanistan in large numbers earlier this week, but that the operation had been put on hold.

Both Downing Street and the defence ministry have repeatedly denied that there has been any postponement.

Prime Minister Tony Blair told parliament that the fast-changing situation on the ground meant that decisions on troops had to be changeable at short notice.—AFP