WASHINGTON - The Pentagon plans to put the Special Operations Command in charge of most United States anti-terrorist actions in a shift towards a more covert war against al Qaeda, the Washington Post reported yesterday.
The command includes special forces troops as well as clandestine counter-terrorism units that can conduct snatch or kill missions, among them Navy Seals and the Army's Delta Force.
Citing US Government sources, the newspaper said the move was a response to Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's demand for more aggressive steps to capture or kill al Qaeda fighters, many of whom have fled since the US military campaign in Afghanistan began last year.
Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, is blamed for a series of actions against US targets around the world, including the September 11 attacks last year.
The Special Operations Command is under orders to develop plans over the next few weeks for carrying out its new responsibilities.
A Bush Administration official said the Special Operations Command would be expected to focus its limited manpower on "high value" leadership targets, while the US Central Command - which oversees the war in Afghanistan - would continue mop-up operations against al Qaeda forces there.
The newspaper also quoted Government officials as saying that more than 500 Special Operations troops were in the African nation of Djibouti and that the USS Belleau Wood has been stationed off the Horn of Africa for about six weeks, ready to carry those troops and some specialised helicopters to potential hotspots such as Yemen and Sudan.
ABC News reported that the amphibious assault ship would be used as a floating base for a Special Operations strike force that had been assembled in Djibouti for a large covert operation into Yemen to hunt down al Qaeda fighters.
Meanwhile, as the United States threatens to launch round two of its war on terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan is still reeling from round one, judging from accounts related by Afghan officials.
They say catastrophe is looming if the international community does not hurry up and fulfil its pledge to help rebuild their country.
Donors promised US$4.5 billion ($9.7 billion) at a conference in Japan, including US$1.8 billion that was supposed to turn up in Afghan coffers this year. Only half has made it.
Of that US$900 million, US$650 million has gone on humanitarian assistance, US$100 million on overheads and only US$150 million is left for reconstruction.
* A fuel tanker seized in Kabul with sticks of dynamite attached to it was headed to Bagram Air Base, the headquarters of the US military in Afghanistan. The truck was filled with aviation fuel when it was stopped by Afghan soldiers and peacekeepers at a checkpoint in southern Kabul.
- AGENCIES
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Links: War against terrorism
Timeline: Major events since the Sept 11 attacks
Special Ops takes over Bush's secret war
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