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Friday, September 14 12:19 AM SGT
Delta Force commandos protect reopened US airspace
WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (AFP) -
The United States drafted in elite Delta Force commandos to help protect
planes as it fully reopened its
airspace Thursday under a stringent new anti-terrorism regime.
Flights, banned since hijackers drove fuel-laden passenger planes into
the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Tuesday, resumed at 11:00 am (1500
GMT), said Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta.
"From this day forward, we are operating with tightened security," he
told a news conference.
Government agents from the Department of Justice and Department of
Treasury were deployed to reinforce security at airports across the country,
Mineta told a news conference.
But "for on board, we do need trained personnel on how to deal with the
use of weapons in an aluminum
cylinder that is flying through the air," he added.
It would take weeks, however, to train personnel for the task, the
transport chief said.
"We are asking for expeditious treatment and action by the Department of
Defense to give us some Delta Force folks," Mineta said.
"They are already trained on high-risk situations and it would not take
that much more training to put the Delta Forces on the airplane," he added.
"We are hoping to augment federal air marshals with Delta Forces."
The Delta Force, equivalent to Britain's SAS, is an highly-secretive US
team of anti-terrorist commandos with special training in close-quarter
combat and hostage rescues.
But the colossal task of switching back on the US civil air transport
system, which carries 1.6 million people on a normal day with 36,000 to
40,000 departures, would take time, he said.
"I must caution everyone that a system as diverse and complex as ours
cannot be brought back up instantly," Mineta said.
Airlines -- many of which have aircraft parked in the wrong airports
following the emergency national grounding -- said the task would take days
and they were resuming diverted flights first.
"We will reopen airports and resume flights on a case-by-case basis,
only after they implement our more
stringent levels of security," the US transport chief said.
The new rules, many kept under wraps for security reasons, include:
-- A total ban on passengers carrying aboard any cutting implements such
as scissors or knives of any material or size. The terrorists used knives,
not guns, in their attacks. Previously, only knives with blades longer than
four inches (10 centimeters) were barred.
-- A thorough search and security check of all airplanes and airports
before passengers are allowed to enter and board aircraft.
- A discontinuation of baggage check-ins at any place besides the
airport ticket counters.
- A discontinuation of off-airport check-in.
- A reservation of boarding areas for passengers only. Only ticketed
passengers will be allowed to proceed past airport screeners to catch their
flights.
US airspace was closed at 1325 GMT Tuesday for the first time in US
history.
The action was taken as hijackers took over four aircraft with a total
266 people aboard and used them in suicide missions against the United
States, destroying the World Trade Center and punching a hole in the Pentagon.
Thousands of people are feared to have perished.
Mineta had planned to resume flights 23 hours earlier.
But the plan was scrapped following intelligence from the FBI and other
agencies and after a National Security Council meeting chaired by President
George W. Bush.
The American Airlines group, the world's biggest airline, said it would
resume limited scheduled American Airlines, American Eagle and TWA flights
no sooner than 2000 GMT.
United Airlines confirmed in a statement that two diverted international
flights had completed their trips in the morning but scheduled operations
would not begin before 2300 GMT.
Delta Airlines said it would run "very limited" operations after 1600
GMT, with the priority on completing diverted flights, including some inbound
flights that halted in Canada.
Airlines were implementing special rules allowing people to get new
tickets, reschedule flights or change to new destinations. American Airlines
also offered passengers the option of refunds.
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