Intelligence from Pakistan. Air strikes from Oman or from aircraft carriers. Troops on the ground in Uzbekistan to back up special forces operating inside Afghanistan. And perhaps a command center inside Saudi Arabia.
Three weeks into America's declared war on terrorism, US military options are taking shape.
Questions remain, though.
As US armed forces position themselves for a possible strike against Osama bin Laden and Afghan rulers who harbor him, it remained unclear what kind of action will be taken and when. Some worry how the Pentagon can plan war strategy in a region with potentially unstable, untested and unenthusiastic allies.
Because of its long common border with Afghanistan, officials initially eyed Pakistan as a possible base for operations in the new anti-terrorism campaign. Though Pakistan is providing intelligence and other support, officials are limiting its use for fear it would enrage the country's fundamentalist Islamic factions and prompt a regime takeover in a country armed with nuclear weapons.
Potential risk to Saudi Arabia's royal family is a factor in that Muslim kingdom as well.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld noted Wednesday that Saudi officials are worried a war on terrorism could create harmful "secondary effects" in the Muslim world.
They have said publicly that US troops must not use bases inside Saudi Arabia to launch attacks on other countries in the region, including Afghanistan.
Privately, US officials dismiss the dispute, saying Saudis are cooperating, even if they are unwilling to publicize it. Still others say it would be pointless to press for more if another option would work just as well.
That's where Oman comes in.
The country could supply critical staging bases for operations inside Afghanistan and has two airports that can give warplanes a straight shot across the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea to Afghanistan while avoiding Iranian airspace.
For ground operations, however, troops need to be close. The focus for that has been on Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, two former Soviet republics bordering Afghanistan.
Uzbek's president, Islam Karimov, gave permission Friday for US warplanes and troops to use an Uzbek air base and the US Army sent 1,000 infantry soldiers there. The Uzbeks, however, appeared to rule out using the country for land operations or air strikes against Afghanistan.
The USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier also will be available in or near the Arabian Sea as a floating base for other forces, defense officials said.
Besides that, analysts noted, military plans are still evolving.
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