General insists US campaign on schedule

The US commander of forces carrying out strikes on the Taliban militia on has denied that the campaign was "in stalemate."

General Tommy Franks, commander in chief of the US Central Command, told a press conference in the Uzbek capital Tashkent that the US "will take action on a timeplane that is satisfying to the US."

"We are committed to this as long as it takes and my view is that it is not at all in stalemate. I believe we are on the timeline that was established."

General Franks made the comments following talks with the President of Uzbekistan, Mr Islam Karimov.

AFP