AFGHANISTAN - Sept. 28 - US Special Forces Pave Way For Military Action.

Western officials say US Special Forces, together with British commandos, have begun operating inside Afghanistan. They are focusing on primary targets for potential air and ground attacks, notably hideouts of Al Qaida led by Osama Bin Ladin and vulnerable bases of the ruling Taliban. A top US administration official says: "A war always begins with these operations behind the enemy lines to produce detailed intelligence about targets". Specialists say these operations involve scores of troops, working as small teams of four to 12 men. Secretly helicoptered into Afghan territory, they hide during daylight and then use night vision equipment to pinpoint command posts, supply depots, training headquarters and other targets for US military strikes. (At least 2,000 members of the US Special Forces, including the 75th Ranger Regiment, their command unit, have deployed during the last week in bases close to Afghan borders in Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tadjikistan. The UK reportedly has most of its 250-man Special Air Service on secret missions in northern Afghanistan). Other sources say the US operations are concentrated on three zones in the northern half of the country. A prime target is Kandahar, where Bin Ladin's forces have often centred their activities. Another target is Bagram, a large Soviet-built airport outside Kabul. This is the only all-weather airport in the country. If captured, it could be a base for US airpower for a sustained military campaign. In the north of the country, British Special Forces reportedly have arrived to reinforce anti-Taliban rebels. Meanwhile, US efforts to build support for its anti-terrorism campaign among the front-line states continue. John Bolton, a senior State Department official, visits Uzbekistan. Analysts say the unprecedented co-operation by central Asian states for the US military effort has helped take some pressure off Pakistan, by reducing the necessary US military "footprint" in that country.