U.S. Begins Special Operations in Afghanistan

U.S. special forces have begun conducting scouting missions in Afghanistan, administration sources told Fox News Friday.

An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the work of U.S. and British forces is a prelude to potential military action. The official denied reports that the forces, deployed in the last few days, are actively seeking prime suspect Usama bin Laden.

Sources told Fox News that America's War on Terror will be an intelligence war, and that conventional forces will rarely be involved in fighting.

In an Oval Office meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Bush declined to comment on reports that forces had already entered Afghanistan. But he said he and his military planners have taken note of lessons learned by Russia in its long, brutal struggle against Afghan rebels in the 1980s.

"It is very hard to fight a ... guerrilla war with conventional forces," Bush said. "There may or may not be a conventional component to" U.S. military action against terrorists believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.

Bush refused to discuss details of his military plans, but said: "Make no mistake about it — we're in hot pursuit."

The president said bin Laden and his Al Qaeda terror organization "don't represent Islam — they represent evil."

"There is no negotiation with the Taliban," he said prior to his talks with with Abdullah. "They heard what I said, now they can act."

Bush added that all countries that harbor terrorists will be targeted in the administration's War on Terror.

"It's not just Mr. bin Laden that we expect to see ... brought to justice," he said. "It's everybody associated with his organization that's in Afghanistan, and not only those directly associated with Mr. bin Laden, but any terrorist that's housed and fed in Afghanistan needs to be handed over.

"And finally, we expect there to be complete destruction of terrorist camps. That's what I told them. That's what I mean."

Abdullah promised that the U.S. would have Jordan's "full, unequivocal support" and said most Arabs and Muslims were behind the America's determination "to put an end to this horrible scourge of international terrorism."

"I have assured His Majesty that our war is against evil, not against Islam," Bush said in an appearance with Abdullah in the Oval Office.

"The Al Qaeda people don't represent Islam as far as America is concerned," the president said. "They represent evil. They're evil people and that's not the Muslim faith that I know and understand, nor is it the Muslim faith of millions of Americans who are proud and devout Muslims."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.