Keeping the ball rolling

Boosted by its success in Afghanistan, the Bush administration is seeking to expand its war across the globe, reports Anayat Durrani in Washington
As the US-led war on terrorism approaches the New Year military operations in Afghanistan continue to move forward. Weeks of bombing have now given way to more arduous tasks -- cave-to-cave searches for Al-Qa'eda and Taliban fighters.
US officials maintain that much ground remains to be covered.
"There are still pockets of resistance throughout the country. The president intends to see the campaign through until the Al-Qa'eda and the Taliban forces have been rooted out and dealt with," said US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld during a Pentagon press conference.
Bombing in the Tora Bora region has for the most part ceased as the ground search for Osama Bin Laden -- believed by US officials to be behind the 11 September terror attacks -- deepens. US Marines will join Special Forces in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan to search for their prime suspect in the network of caves and tunnels around the Tora Bora region.
"What you have is a bunch of caves. They're being triaged and put in priority order," Rumsfeld told reporters. "Then the Afghan forces and coalition forces are going into those caves and looking for information and evidence and people and weapons and determining -- trying to determine -- what we can do to deal with terrorists all across the globe."
According to Rumsfeld, information and evidence gathered in the search has led to the arrest of suspects worldwide and has "prevented other terrorist activities."
While a number of Al-Qa'eda fighters have been captured, US officials remain unsure about the exact whereabouts of Bin Laden, or if he is even still alive. During the unveiling of a new carpet in the Oval Office on Friday, US President George W Bush was asked by reporters if he knew if Bin Laden had slipped out of Afghanistan. Bush commented that he did not know where Bin Laden was, but added, "We're going to find him." Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Monday denied reports that Bin Laden had escaped into Pakistan, saying it was "a great possibility" that he may have been killed in the bombings in Afghanistan.
Speaking about his first year in office, Bush said he was "proud" of how his administration and government has dealt with the 11 September tragedy and the subsequent US-led war on terrorism. Bush said that the first task of toppling the Taliban government was "relatively easy," but noted that the second objective -- to hold those who harbour Al- Qa'eda accountable -- is a process that has taken time and military might. Still, Bush said, pursuing this goal has "unfolded well."
"Now we're on the hunt. And we're chasing one or two, three or four, 20 individuals at a time. And this is pretty rugged country, as you know. And so we're slowly, but surely, chasing down every single lead," said Bush.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan's newly sworn-in interim prime minister, Hamid Karzai, has named Northern Alliance General Abdurrashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek, as his deputy defence minister. Dostum had criticised the interim government for its lack of NA figures in key positions and Karzai's move has been seen as an effort to unite the country's factions.
After more than two months of military operations in Afghanistan, speculation continues to mount as to what the next phase of the American war on terrorism might be. Countries mentioned as the US-led coalition's next stop include Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, the Philippines and Iraq -- though future operations are unlikely to replicate events in Afghanistan. American forces are expected to take a smaller role as the US continues to work with governments to root out suspected terrorist cells in other countries.
"Sometimes the war will take place and actions will take place that the American people won't be able to see," said Bush. "And by that I mean that this is a multi- front war that will be effective when we cut off money, or encourage governments to round up Al-Qa'eda cells. And we are encouraging governments to try to round up and sometimes bring to justice Al- Qa'eda cells."
Somalia, long believed to be a likely destination for Bin Laden, has been cited as a possible target after Afghanistan. The Somali government signed a peace accord with opposition factions on Monday and has said it will cooperate with the US in its war against terror.
Iraq remains the most cited country on the list of possible targets, particularly if evidence is produced that suggests Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is developing weapons of mass destruction. However, the decision to act against Iraq in the next phase in the US campaign against terror, and the form any such action might take, continues to be the subject of heated debate in Washington.
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