The US Secretary of Defense, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, has said that Afghanistan's Taliban is not functioning as a full government after four weeks of US bombing.
"The Taliban is not really functioning as a government as such," Rumsfeld told reporters after meeting Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar.
"As a military force they have concentrations of power that exist. They have military capabilities that exist. They are using their power in enclaves ... to impose their will," he added.
Rumsfeld arrived from Tashkent where he said the US campaign in Afghanistan was making measurable progress .
He met Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who has given the United States permission to use Pakistani air space and allowed the use of three air bases in the south for logistical purposes and search and rescue missions.