WASHINGTON, (voa) – U.S. and Canadian officials are expected to formally announce new border security measures Monday as part of efforts to prevent further terrorist attacks.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said on U.S. television Sunday that he wants U.S. helicopters and 400 National Guard troops to help monitor the 65-hundred kilometer border.
Canadian intelligence officials estimate 50 terrorist groups operate from their territory.
The Washington Post says the increased northern border security will be part of a $30-million emergency plan by the Justice Department. Under the plan, the Defense Department will also provide 200 more personnel to improve intelligence and air patrols. The program would be phased out in 12 to 18 months.
Mr. Ashcroft is expected to formally announce the new security arrangements Monday when he meets with Canadian officials.
Mr. Ashcroft says 500 U.S. agents currently man the U.S.-Canadian border, compared with nine-thousand on the Mexican border.
In other comments Sunday, Mr. Ashcroft defended controversial anti-terrorism legal measures, saying President Bush needs to have the tools to fight terrorism.
Mr. Ashcroft said a recent decision to authorize military tribunals to try foreign terror suspects is legal and that similar actions have been taken virtually every time the United States has been attacked.
Some members of Congress have criticized the Bush administration’s legal measures against terrorism as a threat to civil liberties, but opinion polls indicate most Americans support the actions.
