Special Ops Forces Aboard and Ready: WASHINGTON (AP) - Special operations troops trained for covert missions are in position aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier, ready for search-and-destroy missions in Afghanistan, military officials say. The helicopter-borne special forces were put aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in the Indian Ocean several days ago, military officials said on condition of anonymity. That puts them within striking range of Afghanistan, home to terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden, his al-Qaida network and the Taliban regime that shelters them. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has said that special operations forces would play a large part in America's military response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He and other U.S. officials have declined to discuss when such operations would be launched, however.