War against terrorism not at stalemate says General

General Tommy Franks, commander of the US campaign in Afghanistan, today said the battle against the Taliban has not reached a stalemate.

He said the United States was committed to keeping its anti-terrorism campaign going as long as it takes to destroy Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.

Speaking at a news conference in the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent, Franks said: ‘‘The overall operation around the globe is to disconnect, to destroy terrorist networks with global reach.’’

The general was in Uzbekistan where 1,000 soldiers with the US army’s 10th Mountain Division have been deployed 90 miles from the northern Afghan border.

The goal of the operation in Afghanistan, Franks said, was ‘‘the destruction of the Taliban leadership’’ that is providing shelter for bin Laden’s Al-Qaida network.

’’This is a part of our overall global campaign. Of course, I don’t believe this operation is at stalemate,’’ Franks said.

Commanders and political leaders of the northern alliance, the Afghan opposition forces fighting the Taliban, have criticised the United States for not hitting the ruling Taliban militia harder.

Franks said he had a ‘‘full, free, frank discussion’’ with Uzbek President Islam Karimov and the Uzbek defence and foreign minister

Uzbekistan has gone further than any of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia in helping the United States in the anti-terror campaign. Uzbekistan has put one of its air bases at Washington’ disposition and has opened its air space to US planes.