September 26, 2002	Thursday	Rajab 18, 1423

WASHINGTON, Sept 25: US President George W. Bush met with a group of Afghan women on Tuesday afternoon who are receiving training in Washington.

“The women have gathered here from Afghanistan and are learning and being trained in the skills of governance,” said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. “These are some of the leading lights of Afghanistan, and its part of America’s ongoing commitment to helping Afghans in their nation building efforts,” he added.

Replying to a question, Fleischer that the United States and its allies have made “a great deal” of progress in the war against terror in Afghanistan. “The Taliban have been destroyed as a governing body. Al Qaida has not been destroyed, but they have been disrupted.” The nation, he said, still faced many challenges as a result of terrorists attempting to regroup around the world, and so the threat remains.