WASHINGTON, , Oct. 3 (UPI) -- bc-us-crashes-1stld
US defense chief in Gulf; troops deployed
By RICHARD TOMKINS
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was in Saudi Arabia Wednesday conferring with key officials over U.S-led. efforts against accused terrorist Osama bin Laden and his Afghan protectors as preparations for U.S. military action continued.
The U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, based in upstate New York, reportedly sent more than 1,000 soldiers Tuesday night to the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, located on the borders of Afghanistan, but officials at Fort Drum in New York would neither confirm nor deny the deployment.
In the United States, meanwhile, a bizarre attack in Tennessee on a Greyhound bus driver stoked fears of possible new terrorist actions, causing the company to cancel its nationwide bus service temporarily. According to reports, a man on a Greyhound bus, who had been acting suspiciously, slashed the throat of the driver as the vehicle was traveling down an interstate highway. The bus overturned, and at least 10 people were killed.
Authorities later said the perpetrator, who apparently was killed, was Croatian and the incident was not connected to terrorism.
Attorney General John Ashcroft had warned earlier in the week that the potential for additional acts of terror remained as not all terrorist suspects may have been apprehended.
At the least, the bus incident was an indication of jagged nerves in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks in which hijacked aircraft were crashed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. More than 6,000 people were feared killed in the atrocities.
Since the attacks, President Bush has warned Afghanistan, which provides safe haven to bin Laden and his al Qaida terror network, it could face military action if it does not surrender him. As ships, troops and aircraft have been deployed to strategic countries in the region, the administration has embarked on a full press effort to build international support and a coalition against international terrorism.
Rumsfeld left Washington Tuesday night for Saudi Arabia, where the United States has planes and troops that normally are used for enforcing the no-fly zone over southern Iraq.
Military officials said he also will travel to Oman, Uzbekistan and Egypt for consultations before returning to Washington.
The 10th Mountain Division's reinforced battalion of the light infantry troops sent to Central Asia would provide ground security for U.S. Air Force planes and search-and-rescue teams that are, or will be, deployed there, defense officials were quoted by the Washington Post. The Army itself, in keeping with policy, would neither confirm nor deny it.
At Fort Drum, N.Y., a spokesman, however, added:
"We are trained, we are ready.
"Elements of the 10th Mountain Division light infantry are part of the repositioning of military assets. We are deploying where we are required in order to prepare for, and support, the president's campaign against terrorism."
The 10th Mountain, which served in Somalia, is slated to send 3,200 troops to Kosovo for peacekeeping duties later this month.
Uzbekistan, on Afghanistan's border and battling it's own extremist guerrillas, had earlier agreed to allow U.S. use of its airspace and facilities in the battle against terrorism provided the United States guaranteed it would help protect the country from retaliation by Islamist extremist guerrillas.
According to the Washington Post sources, U.S. troops there would also be tapped as a rapid reaction force to aid special operations units in the region, a number of which are believed to be already operating around Afghanistan, liaising with anti-Taliban guerrillas and assessing their military needs.
According to reports, U.S. intelligence agencies have already identified 23 terrorist training camps inside Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Bush on Wednesday advanced his campaign to encourage Americans to return to normal life by visiting New York for talks with business leaders. On Tuesday, he announced his approval for Washington's Reagan National Airport to reopen following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Bush, while not downplaying the danger of future attacks and the probability of U.S. military responses, has pushed a return to normalcy to help boost the economy, which suffered a hit as a result of the terrorist attacks.
"I think there's no question we all agree that the events of Sept. 11 shocked our economy, just like it shocked the conscience of our nation," Bush said "But like those terrorists they can't affect our soul, they can't affect the greatness of America.
"We all believe that the underpinnings are there for economic recovery, and we all must do our part. And the federal government has a role to play."
Bush was participating in an economic roundtable with more than two-dozen business leaders from the retail, communications and financial industries. He told them he was working diligently with Congress to develop an economic stimulus package that would give more tax relief to individuals and help workers displaced by the tragedy.
Bush said Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has recommended to Congress an economic stimulus package of between $60 billion and $75 billion.
On Capitol Hill, the Senate continued to thrash out new anti-terrorism legislation which gives added powers to law enforcement agencies. The House has passed its version, but the Senate version is apparently hung up over objections by some to provisions allowing normally secret grand jury testimony to be shared with intelligence agencies.
