After 62 days of combat, Afghanistan remains a "very dangerous environment," according to the head of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Tommy Franks.

Briefing journalists at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida December 7, Franks said the situation in Kandahar remains unstable. Though "a great many" Taliban forces inside Kandahar have surrendered, Franks said he still lacks "a sense of comfort" that the situation there is stable, and added that he expects that to continue to be true for two or three more days. He acknowledged that Taliban forces have been fleeing from Kandahar with their weapons, though not in large numbers, and that they are being engaged when located.

Franks said the U.S. Marines inside Afghanistan engaged enemy forces on two occasions December 6: once while interdicting roads north of their forward operating base, and again when attacking "a small threat" to the base itself. He said the Marines "used some helicopter firepower" as well as some of their "ground systems" in the engagements.

In addition to Kandahar, Franks said U.S. and coalition forces are "interested" in -- among other locations -- a mountainous area called Malawa about 50 miles southeast of Jalalabad along the border with Pakistan, because non-Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida fighters may be located there. He said the Tora Bora area remains a focus for the same reason. And he noted that a "pocket" of Taliban forces south of Konduz, in the vicinity of Baghlan, are negotiating with opposition leaders in Konduz.

Asked if Uzbekistan had conditions for opening the Friendship Bridge into Afghanistan so that humanitarian supplies in volume could be brought in overland, Franks said the concerns were whether the bridge would be able to handle the expected heavy traffic, whether it might be booby-trapped, and whether the security situation there was stable enough to proceed.

"I believe that the bridge will be open in the next two or three days," Franks said.

Franks briefed along with coalition members Air Marshal G.E. "Jock" Stirrup of Great Britain and Brigadier General Kenneth Gillespie of Australia. Both officers acknowledged that their respective countries have forces operating on the ground inside Afghanistan. In addition, Stirrup said the British have contributed air "assets," surface ships and submarines.

Gillespie, noting that Australian officers were in the Pentagon when it was hit by the terrorist attack on September 11th, and that dozens of Australians died that morning in New York's World Trade Center, said Australia is contributing ground, air and maritime assets to the military effort.