US Defence Secretary Mr Donald
Rumsfeld is considering using American Special Operations forces to capture or kill al-Qaeda leaders outside Afghanistan.
The New York Timestoday reports that proposals being discussed could lead Special Operations units to get more deeply involved in long-term covert operations in countries where the United States is not at war and, in some cases, where the local government is not told of their presence.
Any expansion of the military's involvement in clandestine activities could be justified, Pentagon officials believe, by defining it as "preparation of the battlefield".
But some officials outside the Pentagon are concerned the proposals could lead the military into covert operations traditionally done by the CIA under tight legal conditions.