Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan Tours Persian Gulf

Despite widespread dismay over a mounting death toll, Arab allies remain “very, very committed” to the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. forces in the region said Wednesday.

As the airstrikes continued into a third week, Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks, whose headquarters are in Tampa, Fla., was touring the Persian Gulf area to meet with political leaders and rally U.S. troops. His visit came at a difficult time: The Afghanistan campaign has triggered anti-American demonstrations in the Middle East, with protesters charging that the United States has killed numerous Afghan civilians in its zeal to ferret out Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist network.

Despite the street-corner criticism and the acknowledgment by Pentagon officials Tuesday that at least three U.S. bombs hit civilian sites over the weekend, Franks said Wednesday that support from allied governments has not flagged.

“We have tried to be absolutely honest with the people in this region and people in our own country in describing where we have made mistakes, where we have had civilian casualties,” he said. “We have done that very openly, very honestly. There is always concern, as there should be, for civilian casualties.”

Yelling over the roar of jet engines at the archipelago’s airport on this island, Franks accused Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban movement of exaggerating the number of civilians killed by airstrikes. The Taliban says hundreds of people have died; the Pentagon believes the number is much lower.

“It is the enemy force, it is the Taliban regime, that tells untruths about the casualty situation,” Franks said, a black beret cocked on his head.

Set in the Persian Gulf across a long causeway from Saudi Arabia, this sleepy set of islands is home to a naval base that includes about 1,000 U.S. military personnel. Relations between the U.S. and Bahraini governments--and between natives and sailors--have been mostly amicable and beneficial since the United States took over the base. This week, Bahraini officials visited Washington to offer backing in the U.S. fight to stamp out terrorism.

But even in Bahrain, the war on terror has struck some nerves. Newspapers carry Taliban estimates of Afghan bombing casualties. After Muslim prayers Friday, a small, peaceful antiAmerican protest broke out.

The U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, which began Oct. 7, put Muslims in a difficult position, said a Bahraini public relations specialist.

“It’s getting very bad these last days; they say innocent people are dying,” said Mohammed Ahmed Almeer. “I don’t think anybody wants that.”

In Bahrain, Franks met with Sheik Hamed ibn Isa Khalifa, the emir, and with officials from the U.S. Embassy. The general visited the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and also spoke to troops stationed in the Arabian Sea.

Franks said he heard no criticism about the bombing deaths in any of the meetings.

“I’m visiting with long-term friends we’ve had in this region,” Franks said. “Some provide assistance and support that we don’t advertise. Some provide support very visibly.”

Franks refused to say whether the U.S. attacks will continue during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month that begins in mid-November. He also declined to guess whether U.S. ground forces could make inroads into Afghanistan before the beginning of a notoriously frigid winter.

“We’ll be at it,” he said, “as long as it takes.”