WASHINGTON, March 11: Pakistan is shortly expected to send representatives of its three services to work as coordinators with the US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, which is in charge of the Afghan operation.

Military representatives from most other coalition partners are already based in Tampa, and they were invited to a ceremony at the Pentagon on Monday commemorating the Sept 11 attacks on US landmarks six months ago. They were due to hold discussions with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the progress of the war on terrorism.

Since Pakistan so far has no one at Tampa, there was no representative from the country at the Pentagon event. The Pakistani military has been intensively engaged in coordination with US and coalition forces in Rawalpindi, but will now also have its own people with the Central Command in Tampa.

Mr Rumsfeld, in brief remarks at the Pentagon ceremony, said the war in Afghanistan was far from over, but the final outcome was assured if the coalition stood together. He said he had no information on whether any Al Qaeda/ Taliban fighters had successfully “got in or out” of Afghanistan across the border with Pakistan.