*EPF203 03/12/2002
Defense Department Report, March 12: Afghanistan Operations
(No U.S. support for negotiated escape of enemy forces) (480)

Rumors of a negotiated surrender to the contrary, the United States does not support allowing any al-Qaida or Taliban leadership inside the combat area near Gardez, Afghanistan, to escape capture or death, according to a Defense Department spokesman.

At a Pentagon briefing March 12, spokeswoman Victoria Clarke was asked to confirm reports that officials in the interim Afghan government were negotiating for the surrender of the remaining al-Qaida and Taliban fighters inside the 60-square-mile pocket near Gardez in the Shah-I-Kot valley.

"There are not negotiations for surrender," Clarke replied. Enemy forces "still have the means to surrender if they want. But we haven't seen any indications that they're inclined to do that." Nor is there any kind of pause in offensive operations to allow for surrender negotiations, she replied to a follow-on question.

Later, Clarke was again asked whether she was aware of the interim government taking a position to allow some of the combatants "to be set free."

"I'm not. I'm not," she said.

Following the briefing, the Defense Department issued a statement by Clarke, in which she said that the U.S. mission "is to capture or kill all al-Qaida and Taliban leadership," that it "is not in anyone's interest for al-Qaida or Taliban leadership to be permitted to go free," and that the interim Afghan government "is well aware of our position ... and has been fully cooperative on this matter.

"We do not support releasing any al-Qaida or Taliban leadership," she said.

According to Air Force Brigadier General John Rosa, who briefed with Clarke, combat operations continue, and U.S. and coalition air forces flew 180 sorties in the previous 24 hours, dropping 100 bombs in the process. That brings the total number of bombs dropped in Operation Anaconda, which began March 2, to 2,500, Rosa said.

U.S. force strength involved in the combat operation remains at about 1,200, Rosa said. U.S. casualties remain at 8 killed and 49 wounded, with 34 of the latter now returned to action.

Rosa said the pace of operations is not as intense as it was in the first few days. Al-Qaida forces are now fewer in number, and are "holed up in small pockets" throughout the area, he said.

An area of high ridges that from the air resemble a whale's back is a current focus of attack, he said.

"[A]s we speak, we are clearing the back of the whale's back," Rosa said. He also noted that the combat area contains about 40 caves, and that U.S. and coalition forces would be going through them very cautiously.

"[W]ith the booby traps, with land mines, with unexpended ordnance, we've got to go very slow, very calculating, very carefully," he said.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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