U.S., Italy Discuss Military Support
By PAULINE JELINEK
.c The Associated Press

  
WASHINGTON (AP) - American warplanes launched daylight and nighttime attacks 
over Afghanistan Monday as the Pentagon worked to line up more foreign troops 
for the anti-terrorism campaign.... 

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said in a press 
conference with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that the Pentagon 
was talking with Italy about the possibly of contributing Italian troops for 
the fight in the Gulf region as well to fill in other places where U.S. 
troops are ``stretched a bit thin.'' 

``I'm here in the United States to be with you in this fight against 
terrorism,'' Berlusconi said. ``It will be a long fight, but I'm sure that we 
will win ... by substituting fear with courage.'' 

He said two Italian officers were at the U.S. Central Command headquarters in 
Tampa, Fla. to figure out ways Italy could help. 

Berlusconi said last week that he hoped Washington wouldn't ask for ground 
troops in the war on terrorism. And he said he expected to be asked instead 
to increase Italy's presence in the Balkans. 

Wolfowitz confirmed the Pentagon might want Italian troops to take over some 
U.S. peacekeeping duties in the Balkans to free American troops from the 
duty. He said Italy could also play a role in the Afghanistan/Gulf region but 
wouldn't elaborate. 

``Italy has played a very big role in the Balkans and obviously that's one of 
the places where we're feeling a certain amount of strain,'' Wolfowitz told 
reporters outside the Pentagon. ``So that's obviously a place where Italy 
might play a larger role. 

``But I think Italy also can play a direct role in ongoing operations in a 
number of ways that we're investigating,'' he said... 

Meanwhile the USS Theodore Roosevelt was getting into position in the region 
Monday, bringing to four the number of aircraft carriers involved in the 
campaign....