21.   If US forces undertake a ground operation, that US-supplied weaponry and training could cause US casualties.

22.   It already has contracts with Lufthansa AG to manage its ground operations at Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich airports.

23.   It was designed, a senior intelligence official said, for ground operations, like the evacuation of personnel from the American embassy.

24.   Many Air Force officers already in Bosnia are returning to Aviano now, as the Army takes over ground operations, he said.

25.   Operation Anaconda, the largest ground operation of the war, was centered in neighboring Paktia province.

26.   Pakistan, he said, seemed likely to be involved only at a later stage, when ground operations inside Afghanistan were ordered.

27.   Pentagon officials said they would not provide details for fear ground operations could be compromised, or US personnel placed at greater risk.

28.   Rumsfeld declined to confirm a base in Afghanistan was imminent, but hinted that the United States is looking for ways to support future ground operations.

29.   Several House Republicans objected to the use of US peacekeeping troops, vowing to vote Thursday to prevent funding for a ground operation.

30.   Since the raid, the Americans have told Karzai that they would check with him before mounting any similar ground operation, an Afghan source said.