A top general of the United States said on Wednesday that decisions will be made soon on which countries the US will send military advisers to as part of the expanding war on terrorism.
Air Force General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the decisions "should be made within the next week". But no further elaboration was made.
The White House now is considering sending as many as 200 Special Operations forces to the former Soviet republic of Georgia to help train the nation's forces on counter-terrorism tactics.
The impending deployment of troops in Georgia would open a new front in America's war on terrorism, building on the current operations in Afghanistan and in the Philippines, where more than 600 American forces are advising Philippine troops.
President George W. Bush has approved plans to send troops to Yemen to help train its military to fight terrorists.
After months of bipartisan support for the war, congressional Democrats have begun to raise questions about the Bush administration's expansion of the war outside Afghanistan.
Senator Tom Daschle, the majority leader, said last week that the first phase of the war was not yet complete, noting that Osama bin Laden, whose Al Qaeda network is considered responsible for the September 11 attacks, was still at large.
He has warned Defense Department officials not to expect additional money for the war without a clear explanation of the administration's goals.
(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2002)
