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U.S. Military Gears Up for Endgame
Thursday, November 29, 2001
(14:29 GMT)
By Paul Reynolds
The British Broadcasting Corporation

America is considering sending 24 aircraft to Kyrgyzstan.
Photo Credit: l'Agence France-Presse.

All this is part of planning for what the Americans hope is the endgame -- the capture (dead or alive) of Osama Bin Laden, the destruction of his network and the complete collapse of the Taleban.

While diplomatic talks continue in Bonn, the US military is concentrating on the prime American objective -- the destruction of Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and the Taleban.

It is preparing to widen its strike ability by sending combat aircraft to the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.

This would enable the strikes to hit targets in Afghanistan much more easily than from the aircraft carriers it currently uses.

In an interview with The New York Times, General Tommy Franks, head of the US Central Command, said that planes would be sent in the next few days from the United States, France and maybe other coalition countries.

The French are now becoming very active in this war, and are also sending an aircraft carrier to the region.
(More: BBC.co.UK News Source)
2001 © The British Broadcasting Corporation.

Dan