Captain Alayne Cramer, of the US Army's 82nd Airborne division, said work was underway to install television access even in outposts where US troops are still engaged in the fight against al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants.

Speaking at Bagram, north of Kabul, the hub of the 8,000-strong US military presence in Afghanistan, Cramer said troops would be able to keep in touch with unfolding events through a variety of media.

"We're primarily a web-based task force. Soldiers always have access to the news, we have a pretty robust capability in terms of the internet," Cramer said.

"We have the Armed Forces Network (AFN). We have six channels, there's Armed Forces Atlantic, Armed Forces Pacific, you name it, we pretty much have it."

The spokeswoman said while main bases such as Bagram and Kandahar in southern Afghanistan had been wired with cable network capabilities, out in the field efforts were still underway to get AFN access.

"We're trying to get all the firebases and forward operating bases equipped with that, but for the most part I'd say we've got between 50 and 60 percent, in all the outlying posts you have some kind of capability."

Cramer said where there was no access to official US forces media, troops were procuring satellite dishes from local retailers or, at worst, would be kept informed by word of mouth.

"We also have audio feeds from CNN and I think the leaders are talking with the service members, trying to keep them up to date with what's going on."

US troops have been based in Afghanistan for almost 18 months as part of an international coalition against al-Qaeda and Taliban, launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

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