Washington - The commander of the US military campaign in Afghanistan said yesterday he was keeping "all the options open", including deployment of larger numbers of ground troops, as the Pentagon expressed concerns about a looming humanitarian disaster as winter sets in.
US Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, who accompanied Gen Tommy Franks at the Pentagon news conference, warned the Afghan people face hardships, including starvation, in the months ahead if the Taliban continues to block the flow of relief.