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U.S. Beefing Up Special Forces in Afghanistan, "Hurting" Taliban
Sunday, November 4, 2001
IslamOnline & News Agencies

WASHINGTON/JABAL-US-SAFAJ, Afghanistan
The United States has significantly increased the number of special forces troops operating inside Afghanistan in recent days, the top U.S. military officer said on Sunday.

Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said special forces teams had been successfully inserted to work with Afghan opposition groups and bolster the U.S. air campaign against the ruling Taliban's front lines.

"Just last night, the night before, we put in a couple more teams," Myers told NBC's Meet the Press. "And the more teams we get on the ground, the more effectively we will bring air power to bear on the Taliban's lines."

Asked if the new deployments represented a "significant increase" in the U.S. troops on the ground in Afghanistan, Myers replied: "It is. It's an increase."

Anxious to reassure Americans and steady uncertain allies, U.S. spokesmen gave a unified message on Sunday that the campaign was on course.

"It's going exactly according to our plan," said Myers. "We have taken down the Taliban air defenses. We have disrupted their ability to re-supply their own forces. We took down their transports, most of their helicopters.
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Dan