TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) - President Islam Karimov granted permission Friday for U.S. warplanes and troops to use an Uzbek air base to support President Bush's campaign to root out terrorists in neighboring Afghanistan. The Army dispatched 1,000 infantry soldiers skilled at search-and-rescue, humanitarian missions and helicopter assaults.The deal struck by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gave the Pentagon a foothold it needs inside Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic on Afghanistan's northern border. (Read photo caption below) But it was not clear from Karimov's comments whether it provided the wide latitude U.S. officials had sought for putting a military squeeze on Afghanistan's Taliban.
``We have offered one airfield in Uzbekistan, with all the surrounding facilities, in order to deploy a limited number of (U.S.) transport airplanes and helicopters,'' Karimov said through an interpreter at a news conference with Rumsfeld.
Karimov quickly added, ``In Uzbekistan we are against the use of our territory for land operations against Afghanistan and we are against air strikes from the territory of Uzbekistan.''
``I envisage that the equipment will be used for humanitarian operations and for search and rescue operations,'' he said.
Furthermore, the president said, no U.S. special operations forces - such as Army Rangers or Green Berets who specialize in operating behind enemy lines - would be allowed to operate from Uzbek territory.
``We are not quite ready for this,'' he said when asked why no special forces could use the base.
In exchange for cooperation, Karimov said Uzbekistan was seeking security guarantees. He said a legal document being prepared will spell out each side's commitments.
Hours before Karimov announced the deal, about 1,000 troops from the Army's 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y., flew across the Atlantic en route to Uzbekistan, according to a senior defense official traveling with Rumsfeld. The official spoke on condition of anonymity and said no details about the exact locations of the troops or their missions would be made public.
The 10th Mountain Division force is the first regular U.S. ground troops acknowledged by the Pentagon to have deployed to Central Asia.
Earlier, other defense officials had said light infantry from the 10th Mountain would be used in Uzbekistan to provide ground security for U.S. Air Force fighter and combat search-and-rescue teams.
The troops also would be on standby to come to the aid of any U.S. special operations troops that might encounter major trouble while conducting raids inside Afghanistan.
Rumsfeld's three-hour stop in Tashkent was the fourth on a five-nation tour which began Wednesday in Saudi Arabia and Oman, two countries where thousands of U.S. forces are stationed.
Rumsfeld also held talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday and flew to Ankara, Turkey later Friday.
In Turkey, Rumsfeld met with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and the Turkish defense chief Sabahattin Cakmakoglu and thanked the only predominantly Muslim NATO ally for its support.
Rumsfeld also said the United States is ready to work with various rebel and tribal groups within Afghanistan in the campaign against Osama bin Laden, the No. 1 suspect in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
PHOTO CAPTION:
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld gestures while speaking at a joint news conference with Uzbek President Islam Karimov, right, after their talks in Tashkent, Uzbekistan Friday, Oct. 5, 2001. During the news conference Karimov said an air base in the country could be used to base U.S. transport planes, helicopters and troops for search-and-rescue missions. (AP Photo/Pool)