Army commanders are needed in the region to oversee the increasing number of troops, said Franks, who leads the U.S. Central Command, or CentCom, at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

Though Franks wouldn't specify what forces under the command would be doing, its movement to Kuwait indicates a likelihood more American troops will soon ship out.

As Taliban and al-Qaida forces seem to be shrinking, the buildup of U.S. forces begs the question: What will the next target be?

Though Franks did not talk Friday about action outside Afghanistan, he said earlier this month Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran are under scrutiny as past sponsors of terrorism.

Stern warnings from President Bush to Saddam Hussein to allow U.N. inspectors back in to Iraq to check for doomsday weapons or face the consequences open the possibility of U.S. action. And a U.S. military delegation traveled to Somalia last week to meet with some faction leaders, much like the way opposition forces in Afghanistan were courted.

The 3rd Army serves as the Army command for CentCom. Navy, Air Force and Marine commands have also moved to the region, Franks said.

The 3rd Army can wield a substantial force.

During the Gulf War in 1991, the massive elements under the 3rd Army's command included the XVIII Airborne Corps (including the 82nd Airborne and 101st Air Assault) and the VII Corps (the 24th Infantry, 1st Cavalry, 1st Armored and 3rd Armored). Their mission during the Gulf War was to destroy Iraq's Republican Guard.

Franks said the job in Afghanistan could take anywhere from a month to 20 months to complete, depending on how the situation changes day by day.

He estimated an enemy force of 300 to 1,000 fighters remain near Tora Bora.

Their access to the outside has been bottled up, Franks said, cutting them off from supplies as winter's grip tightens on the country.

``We can wait longer than they can,'' Franks said, adding, ``... They have shortages of water, they have shortages of food and they have shortages of ammunition.

``... I think what we want to do is very methodically get the leadership, go through all the documents and make sure no core of this remains in Afghanistan,'' Franks said. ``... It's not likely to end tomorrow.

``If we rush this, it would be like rushing this in the beginning. That would have hurt too many of the wrong people. We would not have gotten the job done.''

Franks said an American occupying force would not be placed in Afghanistan.

The European Union agreed Friday that its 15 nations would contribute up to 4,000 troops to an international peacekeeping force. Franks said some of those troops should be in Kabul by Dec. 27.

``The U.K. has said we are prepared in principle to lead the security part of the force into Kabul,'' said Air Marshal Jock Stirrup, commander of the United Kingdom forces at CentCom.

Search For Bin Laden

Military operations are proceeding rapidly in Afghanistan, with Marines occupying the air base in Khandahar and more routes opening for relief supplies. Coalition forces are searching for ranking Taliban or al-Qaida members - including the elusive Osama bin Laden or Taliban leader Mullah Omar - as well as any documents or other information.

``The fact is we don't know where bin Laden is,'' Franks said. ``We suspect he is with a group of al-Qaida forces near Tora Bora.''

Bin Laden may have already fled to Kashmir, bordering India and Pakistan, or to Pakistan, Franks said.

He added that bin Laden has not been connected with the suicide attack on India's Parliament Thursday. Franks would not comment on the videotape played Thursday that shows bin Laden purportedly claiming responsibility for the September attacks.

``I'll keep my thoughts on the tape to myself,'' Franks said.

Any top Taliban or al-Qaida people who are captured may be detained in Afghanistan, perhaps at one of the Marine bases, or transferred to a Navy ship, Franks said.

The search for bin Laden has meant house-to-house searches, Franks said, and coalition forces try to gather intelligence everywhere.

The sheer volume of documents recovered is proving difficult for intelligence officers. Franks said that Friday's fighting had succeeded in capturing al-Qaida prisoners as well as documents.

Walker Transferred

American Taliban fighter John Walker was transferred from the Marines' Camp Rhino in southern Afghanistan to the USS Pelilu for safekeeping while his legal status is determined, Franks said.

Walker has warned of an upcoming al-Qaida attack on the United States, but his warnings have been discounted because his rank was so low in the organization.

Franks said whether Walker's case will be handled by military courts or by civilian courts is not yet settled.

``We're treating him the same way we'd treat an enemy prisoner,'' Franks said. ``... Given his current status, I'm not commenting on what we have gained from Mr. Walker.''

Franks, who said he planned to spend Christmas with the troops in the region, said military units had increased security because of a possible attack that bin Laden would coincide with the end of the Islamic celebration of Ramadan, or al-Fitr. For U.S. Muslims, that would be Sunday.

MacDill Air Force Base noticeably increased its security status Friday, with Humvees fixed with mounted M-60 machine guns stationed at the base gates. Franks said CentCom was watching for any hint of an attack.

George Coryell can be reached at (813) 259-7966.