U.S. war commander says troops will stay in Afghanistan for ye

WASHINGTON -- The United States is likely to keep troops in Afghanistan for many years to guard against it becoming a haven for terrorists again, the American war commander said Thursday.

Army Gen. Tommy Franks, whose Central Command troops are leading the anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan, made no specific prediction about how long U.S. forces would remain there. Noting that the United States has long-term military commitments in many countries, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld singled out Korea, where tens of thousands of American forces have been stationed for half a century.

There are about 8,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan as part of a coalition hunting for remnants of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist organization and leaders of the Taliban militia that harbored them. The troops also are training an Afghan national army and providing civil services.

int Chiefs of Staff, said during a public appearance in Savannah, Ga., on Thursday that the global war on terrorism may go on for years.

"It could last years and years, so we must be patient," Myers told a conference of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States. He said he is frustrated at the pace of progress but mindful that the goal is to destroy the far-flung al-Qaida network before it attacks Americans again.