U.S.-Led Air Strikes Go Into Week Four
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S.-led campaign is going into week four. From the latest from the Pentagon, let's turn to CNN's Brooks Jackson -- Brooks. Oh, we are having a problem with our -- Brooks, are you there?</s>BROOKS JACKSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... went a little more deeply into military operations. He said they are not being held back or getting bogged down. According to some accounts, the military operations are being held back deliberately to allow diplomatic efforts to assemble a broad Afghan coalition to replace the Taliban, but Secretary Rumsfeld told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that U.S. forces are vigorously aiding the Northern Alliance forces on the ground.</s>DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We are dropping thousands of pieces of ordinance to assist them in addressing the Taliban forces that are arrayed against them, both there and over at Mazar-e-Sharif and down at Kandahar. The thing you're reading in the paper that the United States for some other -- some reason is restraining these people is just factually not true. We are providing food. We are providing ammunition to the extent we can. We are encouraging them. We are providing air ground support.</s>JACKSON: Now, at the same time, Rumsfeld held out no hope for a quick end to the conflict. He said the Taliban has miles and miles of underground hideouts, and that even using 5,000-pound earth- penetrating bombs closing them will take time.</s>RUMSFELD: There's no question but that we have been systematically working on the caves and on the tunnels and on their openings, and we have had some success. Now, the problem is there are a great many of them, so it's going to take some time to deal with them and make them less habitable.</s>JACKSON: Now earlier, responding to a reporter's question, Rumsfeld said the three-week-old conflict is</s>RUMSFELD: From day one, the president has said and I have said repeatedly that this will be a long, long effort. This is something that is new. It's different. It's not easy. It is like looking for needles in the haystack.</s>JACKSON: He said the quagmire idea is one put forth by reporters who need a headline every 15 minutes -- Donna.</s>KELLEY: All right. Brooks Jackson at the Pentagon, thanks very much.