<

U.S. Ground Troops Head to Uzbekistan
Friday, October 5, 2001
(15:20)
By CBC News Online staff

A Northern Alliance fighter rides in a military vehicle to front line positions at the former Soviet army air force base at Baghram, some 30 km (18 miles) north of Kabul.
Photo Credit: CP picture archive (Mikhail Metzel).

Taliban offers to put suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden on trial in Afghanistan if solid evidence against him is found.

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Source
The military buildup around Afghanistan continued Friday as the U.S. dispatched the first batch of ground troops to the region.

INDEPTH: U.S. Striking Back

One thousand soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York are now on their way to Uzbekistan, Afghanistan's northern neighbour.

At a news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the country's president, Islam Karimov, said he had granted permission for U.S. forces to use an air base in his country for search-and-rescue missions.

Officials said U.S. transport planes, helicopters and troops will be allowed to use the base to provide security for other U.S. forces.

But Karimov said American forces will not be allowed to launch air or ground attacks from the base.

Rumsfeld is visiting the Middle East and Central Asia to build support for an international battle against terrorism. He visits Turkey before returning to the United States.
(More: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation online News Source)
Copyright © 2001 CBC

Dan