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Uzbekistan Grants U.S. Use of Airfield, Awaits 1,000 Troops
TASHKENT, Oct 5 (News Agencies) - Uzbekistan gave the United States the go-ahead Friday to use one of its air bases in the showdown with Afghanistan as 1,000 elite U.S. troops headed to the former Soviet republic in the first major deployment of ground troops.
But President Islam Karimov reiterated that he would not allow the use of Uzbek territory to launch air or ground attacks on the Taliban militia and emphasized that the U.S. presence in his country was restricted to humanitarian missions.
"We are against the use of our territory in land operations against Afghanistan. We are against air strikes on Afghanistan," Karimov said following talks here with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Karimov did grant the United States use of an airfield and other facilities for aircraft, helicopters and personnel involved in search and rescue missions.
"Uzbekistan gives its permission for the use of one of its airfields and facilities," said Karimov, without specifying which of the airfields was involved.
U.S. officials said the crack light infantry troops were being stationed to provide force protection in Uzbekistan for U.S. military operations in reprisal for the September 11th terrorist strikes on Washington and New York.
It marks the first major deployment of U.S. ground forces in the showdown with Afghanistan, which now appears imminent.
"The 10th mountain division is in the air," a U.S. defense official told reporters traveling with Rumsfeld, who flew into Tashkent from Cairo.
U.S. ground forces have been the missing piece in the mobilization of U.S. forces in the region.
U.S. warships and bombers are positioned within striking distance of Afghanistan and U.S. special forces have been deployed to the region.
But except for some 2,200 combat-ready U.S. Marines aboard amphibious assault ships in waters off Pakistan, no large contingents of ground forces had moved until now.
The 10th mountain division, which specializes in cold weather fighting, could also be used as a rapid-reaction force to back up special forces' missions in Afghanistan.
U.S. troops have held military exercises in former Soviet republics before, but never for an operation of this kind.
Uzbekistan's strategic location on Afghanistan's northern border and its former Soviet bases make it a natural staging area for U.S. forces.
Karimov said that the aircraft and helicopters that are to be based in Uzbekistan would be used only for humanitarian missions.
Asked why Uzbekistan would not allow special forces to operate from its territory, Karimov said: "We are not quite ready for this."
Karimov said he was ready to step up intelligence sharing on Afganistan's ruling Taliban and the activities of Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network.
Washington has identified bin Laden and his network as the prime culprits in the terror attacks.
Using Uzbekistan as a staging area for U.S. forces has the additional virtue of taking some of the political pressure off Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan to the south.
Pakistan, whose intelligence services engineered the Taliban's rise to power, fears a destabilizing backlash by pro-Taliban Pakistani religious groups if military action is launched from its territory.
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