U-S officials are reported to have expanded their intelligence-gathering operations in Afghanistan as they sift through materials left behind by al-Qaida and Taleban fighters who now are being held prisoners.
The Washington Post reports that U-S special forces and C-I-A officers have been examining seized al-Qaida documents, computer hard drives, videotapes, and telephone books.
The newspaper quotes senior administration officials as saying the material has already produced names and phone numbers of al-Qaida members in other countries, and has led to some additional arrests. The officials are quoted as saying scientists from U-S nuclear weapons laboratories have joined the investigation and are searching al-Qaida training camps for signs of actual work on chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons.
One senior official said no such materials have been found so far. But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said some samples taken from the sites are still being examined in the United States.