America Strikes Back

[sarals]

U.S. and British special forces have conducted operations in Afghanistan and the Central Asian region, a senior administration official told CNN on Friday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. and British special forces have conducted operations in Afghanistan and the Central Asian region, a senior administration official told CNN on Friday.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
CNN is sensitive about reporting information that could jeopardize lives or ongoing military operations.

It is CNN's policy not to report the specifics of imminent or real-time military actions when told by appropriate authorities that this could jeopardize lives or ongoing operations.

CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King reported that a senior Bush administration official said the operations took place "in the region" and "in country," meaning Afghanistan.

The official characterized the operations as part of routine special operations deployment that always accompany any U.S. military deployments overseas.

Reports of special operations were first reported in the Pakistani press and in Friday's editions of USA Today. A senior U.S. official has confirmed those reports to CNN.

The operations are intelligence or reconnaissance-related, possibly to scout the terrain and look for places for helicopters to land or possible targets for airstrikes. King reported the administration official said, "We have an intelligence deficit here."

U.S. military special operations units include U.S. Army Rangers, Navy Seals, Army Special Forces and the supersecret Delta Force.

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/28/ret.special.operations/index.html