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U.S. does not expect peacekeeping role in Afghanistan

SUMMARY:

Gen. Tommy Franks, head of the United States Central Command, said Monday that he does not expect U.S. forces to be involved in peacekeeping in Afghanistan. He said the United States has been working with the Afghan interim government to build a national army that can eventually take over the task of securing the country and maintaining control.

"It seems to me that some formulation of a national army that would include ethnic and tribal ingredients would perhaps be a way to go," Franks said.

Afghanistan's interim leader, Hamid Karzai, has called for Iranian cooperation in creating peace and stability in the region. Karzai is on the second day of a trip to Iran, a longtime supporter of Afghan forces fighting against the Taliban.

Iran -- which shares a 600-mile border with Afghanistan -- has pledged $560 million in aid toward Afghan reconstruction. More than 2 million Afghan refugees live in Iran. (Full Story)

Summary Update Key questions Who's who  CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

UPDATE:

The White House said Monday that intensive negotiations are under way with Pakistan for the extradition to the United States of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the top suspect in the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (Full Story)

Asked if the United States is interested in bringing a criminal case against Saeed Sheikh, President Bush said, "We're always interested in dealing with people who have harmed American citizens."

Saeed Sheikh, the self-confessed mastermind of the kidnapping of Pearl, has been remanded in custody for another 14 days -- so prosecutors can try to gather more evidence -- following his court appearance in Karachi on Monday. (Full Story)

In Southeast Asia, intelligence officials said plans related to a foiled 1995 terrorist plot to crash commercial planes into buildings in the United States may have made their way into the hands of the suspected hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks.

These sources say they believe the conduit was Riduan Isamuddin, also known as Hambali. Malaysian and Singaporean officials say Hambali is al Qaeda's main operator in the region, and that he may have helped plan the attacks last fall on New York and Washington.

Sources say that in January 2000, Hambali was videotaped meeting in Malaysia with two of the alleged September 11 hijackers -- Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf Alhazmi. A third man, Zacarias Moussaoui, now facing terrorism-related charges in the United States, met with Hambali's aide later that year.

Senior government officials say that President Bush's national security team is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss whether the U.S. war on terrorism should include helping to defeat leftist guerrillas in Colombia. (Full Story)

KEY QUESTIONS:

Where is bin Laden?

Will Daniel Pearl's killers be brought to justice?

WHO'S WHO:

Daniel Pearl: Wall Street Journal reporter, 38, kidnapped and slain in Pakistan.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh: Islamic militant now jailed in Pakistan as the suspected ringleader in Pearl's kidnapping.

Gen. Richard Myers: Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff

Gen. Tommy Franks: Head of the U.S. military's Central Command

Hamid Karzai: Head of Afghanistan's interim government

Osama bin Laden: A wealthy Saudi expatriate living in Afghanistan whom U.S. authorities cite as the prime mastermind behind terror attacks.