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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 2001

For the first time, defense officials on Thursday confirmed the presence of U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan, whose missions including bolstering opposition to the Taliban regime that controls most of the country and has harbored suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Operatives in southwest Afghanistan are encouraging the Pashtun Tribe to step up opposition to the Taliban. Already, Pashtun elders and military commanders have called on fighting the Taliban.

But additionally, the special forces are being used to arm the Northern Alliance, a coalition of tribes and ethnic groups in the northern part of the country that has been fighting the Taliban for years. The U.S. will coordinate air strikes with the alliance, said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Get the Story:
Special Forces Open Ground Campaign (The Washington Post 10/19)
Increased U.S. Activity Said to Aid Afghan Rebels (The New York Times 10/19)
Special Forces Leave for War Without Fanfare (The New York Times 10/19)
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