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US on high alert, deploys forces in Afghanistan
The United States was on high alert for new terror attacks on Tuesday, Vice President Dick Cheney was safe in a secret location, and limited US forces were on the ground in Afghanistan, as public unease grew over the war on terrorism.
For the first time, the Pentagon confirmed it had a limited contingent of its forces on the ground in Afghanistan, advising the opposition Northern Alliance.
"We do have a very modest number of ground troops in the country and they are there for liaison purposes," said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
He said that the US troops were working closely with Alliance forces and spotting Taliban targets for US warplanes. "Because they are there now, the (bombing) effort has improved in its effectiveness," Rumsfeld said.
Anti-Taliban spokesman Mohammad Ashraf Nadeem told Reuters by satellite telephone from northern Afghanistan, "They (the Americans) have their own base there and are equipped with guns and other means of defense and wear uniforms.".
Commanders from the area held a meeting on Monday with the U.S. soldiers and requested that they intensify their attacks on the Taliban frontline positions.
"Right now it seems that they have done so because for the past several hours planes have been bombing Sholgara and Kishindi districts to the south and southwest of Mazar-i-Sharif," Nadeem said.
The front is near the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif that stands astride supply routes to Kabul and has an airfield.
Bureau Report